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"standing  there  in  the  sun-bleached  grass" 


CENSION 


B  Sftetcb  from  ipaso  2)el  IRorte 


MAUDE  MASON   AUSTIN 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW     YORK 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

1896 


HARPER'S   LITTLE   NOVELS. 


PREVIOUS  ISSUES: 
AFTERMATH.      Part   Second   of  "A   Kentucky   Cardinal."      By 
Jambs  Lanb  Allkn, 

THE  JUDGMENT  BOOKS.    By  E.  F.  Benson.    Illustrated, 

THE  ROYAL  MARINE.  By  Bkander  Matthews,  Illustrated 
by  W.  T.  Smkdlky. 

A  KENTUCKY  CARDINAL.  By  James  Lane  Allen.  Illus- 
trated by  Albert  E.  Stkkner. 

AN  AGITATOR.     By  Clementina  Black. 

ST.  JOHN'S  WOOING.     By  M.  G.  McClelland.    Illustrated. 

MINISTERS  OF  GRACE.  By  Eva  Wilder  McGlasson.  Illus- 
trated by  Clifford  Carleton. 

32mo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  $1  00  each. 


Pcblished   bv    HARPER   &    BROTHERS,   New   York. 


Copyright,  1895,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 
All  rights  reserved. 


TO 

MY  BELOVED  FATHER 

RANIER   HALL   MASON 


20618?'^ 


\0^^^ 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


'   STANDING  THERE  IN  THE  SUN-BLEACHED 

grass" .  Frontispiece 

"  HER    HEART    WENT    DOWN     LIKE     LEAD 

AS  HE  PASSED   OUT   OF  SIGHT''.      .  Facing  page  54 

" '  I'll    give   that    bloody  knife   to 

SENORA    MAESE'S    COUNSEL  '  "       .       .         "         "        80 
"PABLO    KNELT    ON    THE    GROUND,    STILL 

HOLDING   HIS   NERVELESS   BURDEN"        '*         "     158 


"  'Tis  the  pure  intelligence  of  mind, 
That,  like  some  unborn  light,  beams  from  her  soul; 
The  virtuous  thoughts  that  clothe  her  like  a  garment; 
The  chastity,  the  candor,  and  the  meekness^ 
That,  through  her  parted  hair,  look  from  a  brow 
And  features  where  the  seal  of  heaven  is  set." 


CENSIOK 


*'  So  every  spirit,  as  it  is  more  pure, 
And  hath  in  it  the  more  of  heavenly  light, 
So  it  the  fairer  body  doth  procure 
To  habit  in,  and  it  more  fairly  dight 
With  cheerful  grace  and  amiable  sight. 
For  soul  is  form,  and  doth  the  body  make.' 

— Spenser. 


Waning  summer,  as  if  weary  with 
propagation,  langiiislied  over  the  Rio 
Grande  valley.  All  day  the  little  feath- 
ered habitants  of  the  province,  bathing 
themselves  in  the  sun,  had  trilled  rondos 
with  many  da  capos,  but  no  fine.  All 
mundane  things  panted  under  the  sun's 


receding  glare.  Unabashed  by  conscious- 
ness of  a  leafy  provision  elsewhere,  it 
poured  upon  the  bare  austerity  of  land- 
scape and  frolicked  afar  over  the  ver- 
dureless  miles.  The  flocks  of  goats  that 
flecked  the  open  stretches  looked  like 
painted  card-board  animals  in  a  child's 
nursery  menagerie.  Some  patient  bur- 
ros, lately  relieved  of  their  burdens  of 
mesquit  roots,  were  making  lazily,  like 
a  squad  of  ducks,  for  a  nedivjacal. 

The  silence  was  unbroken,  save  for  the 
"  caw,  caw  "  of  a  tardy-sailing  crow  over- 
head, or  the  half -sad  whistle  of  a  cor- 
donis,  with  an  occasional  swish,  swish, 
as  the  yellow  waters  of  the  Rio  Grande 
lapped  encroachingly  the  reeds  on  its 
banks.  To  the  girl  standing  there  ankle- 
deep  in  the  sun-bleached  grass,  the  in- 
finite distances  of  sunset  sky  seemed  to 
liold  a  peculiar  significance.  Every  line 
of  her  graceful  figure,  her  unstudied  at- 


titiide,  was  enhanced  by  her  simple  dress. 
It  was  only  a  short  petticoat  of  nonde- 
script red,  and  a  loose  blouse  of  sleizy 
white  cotton  that  had  seen  many  wash- 
ings ;  but  it  clung  softly,  falling  away 
from  a  throat  faultless  in  contour,  if  not 
in  coloring.  A  half-sleeve  left  bare  a 
sloping  wrist,  brown  like  the  small  hands 
and  tapering  lingers  that  would  have 
graced  a  duchess.  Her  rehosa  had  slipped 
from  her  head  in  her  intentness,  and  a 
wealth  of  blackest  hair  clung  around  her 
face  and  neck,  in  those  soft  curves  that 
are  so  charming  but  so  rare  in  the 
usual  straight  locks  of  her  country- 
women. 

A  sound  as  of  breakincjj  twio;s  on  her 
right  seemed  to  recall  'Cension  to  earth- 
ly thoughts.  Her  almost  glorified  look 
gave  place  to  a  half-troubled  exj)ression, 
as  if  life's  unpleasant  earthliness  had  re- 
turned to  her.    A  small  figure  stood  ner- 


vonsly  hesitating  before  showing  itself 
beyond  the  mesquit  bushes  in  front. 
This  figure,  in  a  long-skirted  dress  that 
did  not  quite  hide  two  exceedingly 
brown  feet,  lield  a  black  mantilla  in 
quaint  nunnish  fashion  over  her  tightly 
braided  locks,  disclosing  an  unchildlike 
face  with  two  restless  black  eyes. 

Little  Anita  seemed  at  first  irresolute; 
then,  throwing  the  end  of  the  shawl  with 
quick  determination  over  her  left  shoul- 
der, in  that  peculiarly  Mexican  fashion 
acquired  by  them  in  their  very  infancy, 
one  verily  believes,  she  came  out  into 
the  waste,  half -meadow,  half  -  prairie, 
where  her  sister  stood.  She  slipped  a 
little  hand  into  'Cension's  shapely  one 
hanging  listlessly  down,  and  did  not 
speak  for  a  moment ;  then  taking  the 
hand  in  both  her  small  ones,  she  said, 
softly,  like  one  understanding  the  art  of 
sweet  sympathy. 


"'Cension,  dearie!  Eduardo  is  tliere. 
They  want  you." 

Tliey  stood  thus  quite  still  for  a  mo- 
ment ;  then  laying  her  palm  on  the  lit- 
tle girl's  shoulder,  'Cension  said,  in  a 
musical,  almost  a  pathetic,  voice,  "Anita 
mia,  I  will  come." 

They  passed  through  numerous  un- 
even, circumscribed  fields.  Don  Ri- 
cardo,  their  father,  with  much  pains- 
taking, had  partitioned  these  into  little 
ridged  squares  for  irrigating  summer 
crops,  long  since  transferred  to  the 
granaries.  A  few  yards  farther  they 
came  out  into  the  public  camino  which 
leads  to  Paso  del  I^orte.  As  they  walked 
along  between  the  cotton  woods,  where 
the  fast-falling  night  seemed  suddenly 
closing  in,  Anita  looked  down  at  the 
delightfully  soft,  fine  dust  which  fairly 
gave  a  delicious  thrill  to  each  naked  toe, 
and  said, 


"  You  do  not  mind  ?  You  are  not 
angry  with  me,  'Cension  ?  I  did  not 
want  to  come ;  they  sent  me.  I  knew 
you  would  rather  be  tliere^'^  giving  ^ 
backward  jerk  of  her  small  head  ;  then, 
more  hesitatingly, "  You  do  not  want  to 
see  Ediiardo  ?" 

"  Anita,  child,  what  can  you  mean  ? 
Of  course  I  want  to  see  Eduardo,"  and 
a  quick  flash  passed  over  the  face  which 
the  little  sister  did  not  see.  The  tone 
awed  the  child,  and  she  walked  demure- 
ly along  without  again  looking  at  the 
face  above  her.  Her  poor  little  heart 
sank  despondingly  as  she  felt  that  per- 
haps 'Cension  might  think  that  she  was 
not  herself  overpleased  to  see  Eduardo. 
This  was  indeed  only  too  true,  the  shrink- 
ing, sensitive  child  experiencing  nothing 
but  nervous  shyness  when  the  swagger- 
ing figure  and  bold  eyes  of  that  gentle- 
man put  in  an  appearance  at  the  rancho. 


At  a  turn  of  the  road  tliej  came  into 
a  narrower  one,  almost  a  lane,  bordered 
by  a  hedge,  and  so  to  Don  Kicardo  Do- 
rantes'  ancestral  hall.  Oiit-biiildings,  cor- 
rals, goat  sheds,  vineyards,  and  compli- 
cated extension  of  sun-dried  brick-walls, 
presented  no  mean  inventory  of  creat- 
ure-comfort. The  front  of  the  build- 
ing had  once  been  whitewashed,  but 
though  it  now  presented  an  exceeding- 
ly piebald  front  from  numerous  slough- 
ings  ofi  of  the  aforementioned  limy  ap- 
plication, it  still  filled  Ricardo's  plebeian 
heart  with  pride.  He  had  never  felt  it 
incumbent  to  either  remove  or  renew 
the  poor  isolated  patches  of  dirty  white 
clinging  here  and  there  to  the  strawy 
bricks  of  the  fa9ade.  The  windows 
were  few ;  the  rooms  large  and  gloomy. 
The  floors,  from  conscientious  sprink- 
lings, were  kept  in  a  state  of  beautiful 
hardness,  and  Dona  Liseta  would  have 


scorned  boards  or  a  carpet  covering  ex- 
cept for  the  sola.  Tlie  wide  door,  made 
of  boards  bolted  together,  opened  into  a 
hall  where  you  never  knew  whether  the 
foolish  w^orld  outside  were  hot  or  cold, 
and  this  again  into  ?i patio.  Here  upon 
an  elevation  in  the  centre  grew  the  se- 
fiora's  foxgloves,  chrysanthemums,  ver- 
benas, and  cacti.  Around  the  border  of 
the  walks  in  this  court  grew  fragrant 
Castilian  roses,  and  a  luxuriant  confu- 
sion of  oleanders,  honeysuckle,  and  young 
fig-trees,  and  here  Anita's  linnets  and 
red -birds  chirped  loudly  in  their  reed 
liouses  through  the  long  bright  days. 
Through  an  opening  in  the  rear  could 
be  seen  down-hanMnir  bouo;hs  of  weis^ht- 
ed  peach-trees  touching  the  earth  with 
their  burden  of  sun  -  kissed  fruitage, 
broad-leaved  fig-trees  and  acres  of  bunch- 
ily  pruned  vineyard  ;  for  Kicardo  Do- 
rantes'  possessions  were  extensive.     Be- 


yond  was  a  slied  thatched  with  mud, 
tule,  and  tasselled  lengths  of  corn-stalks, 
an  impervious  agrarian  roof  where  the 
linnets  chirped  and  nested  in  scores  ; 
and  all  around  was  the  odor  of  half- 
dried  fruit  spread  in  batches  in  the 
sun. 

As  'Cension  and  Anita  came  slowly 
towards  the  house  the  figures  before 
it  were  clearly  outlined  :  Don  Ricardo, 
rough,  uncouth,  unredeemably  ugly, 
but  kind-hearted.  Rather  given  to 
thoughts  of  earthly  pelf,  he  did  not 
trouble  himself  about  repeating  pater- 
nosters. One  did  not  believe  that  Ri- 
cardo would  even  scruple  to  drive  a 
bunch  of  burros  to  Paso  del  Xorte  on 
the  Sabbath,  if  he  were  sure  of  a  ready 
and  profitable  sale  of  their  loads. 

Amiable  and  indolent  of  disposition, 
Ricardo  liked  nothing  better  than  an 
unlimited    number  of   siestas   throu2:h 


the  summer,  and  a  comfortable  squat 
in  a  warm  serajye  on  the  sunny  side  of 
the  wall  in  winter.  He  was  proud  and 
fond,  in  his  own  blunt  way,  of  his  chil- 
dren, and  enjoyed  seeing  the  two  young- 
est, boys  of  eight  and  ten,  tumbling  about 
like  little  savages  in  the  bright  sun.  He 
declared  that  a  family  like  his — "peons," 
as  he  sometimes  dubbed  them,  to  vex 
his  eldest,  a  young  man  of  rare  good 
looks  and  rarer  qualities  —  could  grow 
up  like  the  weeds  on  his  aceqidas.  The 
two  youngest  perhaps  could  so  thrive, 
as  their  wide  eyes,  stiff  hair,  and  expres- 
sionless faces,  so  like  Ricardo's  own,  in- 
dicated no  present  or  future  yearnings. 
Not  so  Pablo,  the  son,  and  'Cension,  the 
girl  with  the  sad,  deep  eyes.  They  in- 
herited a  fine  nature  from  the  gentle 
mother,  whose  undoubted  Castilian  line- 
age, though  many  generations  removed, 
appeared   again  in  those  favored  two. 


11 


Their  brownness  of  skin,  though  as  dark 
as  old  Placido's  brood  in  the  nearest 
jacal,  was  as  fine  and  smooth  as  satin, 
and  a  certain  grace  of  manner  and  bear- 
ing was  noticeable  in  them  that  was  not 
of  Eicardo's  ancestry. 

The  sweet-faced  mother  sat  near  the 
door  keeping  up  a  spasmodic  conversa- 
tion with  Santas.  Her  own  well-pre- 
served face  bore  no  resemblance  to  the 
grandmother's  countenance,  wrinkled  like 
parchment,  out  of  which  looked  a  pair 
of  keen  black  eyes,  the  whole  made  more 
uncouth  by  straight  locks  that  had  de- 
termined to  cling  to  their  mummy-like 
surroundings  in  primitive  blackness.  A 
man  w^itli  his  back  to  the  others  was 
talking  voluble  Spanish  to  Pablo,  who 
listened  with  a  bored,  almost  uncivil, 
air. 

The  talker  turned  at  Ricardo's  ex- 
clamation of  "  There  she  is  !"  and,  ad- 


vancing  to  meet  the  figure  coming  grace- 
fully towards  them,  you  saw  his  face. 
E^ot  much  above  medium  height,  his 
well-knit  figure  impressed  you  with  its 
consciousness  of  agility  and  muscle,  but 
his  slightly  swaggering  gait  was  not 
atoned  for  by  a  supercilious  air  which 
was  responsible  for  poor  timid  Anita's 
half -fear,  half -antipathy.  Deep,  cold 
eyes  softened  by  long  lashes  did  not 
quite  redeem  the  other  rather  promi- 
nent features  of  his  face.  His  mouth 
was  wide,  his  chin  and  lower  face  heavy 
and  sensuous,  partly  concealed  by  a  stiff 
mustache,  and  when  he  lifted  his  silver- 
braided  sombrero  you  saw  that  his  hair 
was  coarse.  Still,  all  in  all,  he  was  far 
from  lookino;  an  ill-favored  mortal ;  on 
the  contrary,  he  was  just  the  half-ugly 
specimen  that  will  forever  hold  sway 
with  women. 

Well  equipped  in  tan-colored  trousers, 


13 


striped  on  the  outer  seams  and  adorned 
with  fringe,  short  round  jacket  with  full 
shirt  underneath,  he  made  a  presentable 
picture  as  he  cantered  out  from  Paso  del 
^Norte  on  his  clay-colored  caballo  with 
much  ornamented  saddle-trappings.  He 
thought  with  much  complacency  as  he 
rode  along  through  "lover's  lane,"  then 
out  into  the  country  road,  of  how  this 
enseinble  would  be  appreciated  by  'Cen- 
sion,  and  was  not  a  little  vexed  when 
she  was  not  there  to  see  it. 

"  You  did  not  care  to  see  me,  it 
seems,"  lie  said,  in  an  undertone,  watch- 
ing the  bright  light  that  gathered  in 
her  deep  eyes  and  fell  tremblingly  over 
the  sweet  face  and  full  lips. 

"  I  did  not  know  you  would  come. 
How  can  you  say  so,  Eduardo  V 

Tliey  walked  slowly  towards  the  oth- 
ers, at  last  disappearing  through  the 
half-open  door,  where,  beyond  the  arched 


14 


portales  around  the  patio,  tlic}^  could  en- 
joy the  seclusion  so  affected  by  lovers  of 
all  climes. 

Pablo  stood  where  their  visitor  had 
left  him,  an  uneasy  look  on  his  face, 
which  the  ever- watchful  little  mother 
was  not  slow  to  notice. 

"Come,  Pablo  mio,  for  a  little  walk," 
she  said,  softly,  laying  her  hand  on  his 
arm. 

"What  is  it,  mother?  You  want  to 
speak  to  me?"  he  half  questioned  as  they 
walked  on  by  the  alfalfa  field,  and  a  star 
here  and  there  seemed  suddenly  thrust 
through  the  overhanging  blue  dome. 

"Yes,  Pablo.  You  are  not  happy, 
my  son.  Can  you  not  let  your  mother 
know  the  cause  ?" 

"  Not  happy,  mother  I"  he  said,  in  a 
tone  of  deep  sadness.  "  Can  one  ever 
be  happy  again,  think  you,  with  such  a 
sorrow  as  mine  on  his  heart  ?"  and  they 


15 


walked  on  in  silence  a  few  steps.  "But 
it  was  not  my  unhappiness  that  you  saw, 
if  there  was  any  on  my  face  just  now.  I 
was  thinking  of 'Cension,"and.  he  struck 
sharply  among  the  dense  growth  of  tall 
sunflowers  that  grew  along  the  tield's 
edge  and  covered  every  available  space 
on  the  farm. 

"You  do  not  like  Eduardo?  you  do 
not  ajDprove  of  it?"  she  asked,  with  grow- 
ing anxiety  in  her  voice. 

"  Like  him  ?  I  hate  him  !  He  is  a 
villain !"  he  burst  out,  excitedly ;  then, 
more  quietly,  "  Forgive  me,  mother,  I 
startled  you.  But  to  answer  your  ques- 
tion as  it  deserves :  no,  I  do  not  ap- 
prove. He  is  a  stranger,  and  I  do  not 
trust  him.  I  have  said  nothing  of  my 
feelings  before,"  he  went  on.  "  I  felt  it 
might  be  prejudice  on  my  part ;  and 
'Cension  loves  him.  But  I  know  now 
— from  rumors — that  there  are  reasons 


16 


for  doubting  liis  character.  Poor  little 
sister,"  lie  said,  softly,  as  if  to  himself, 
"  I  fear  these  happy  days  are  short." 

Dofia  Liseta  stopped  suddenly,  and 
looked  up  into  her  son's  face  in  a  startled 
way.  " Pablo,  you  frighten  me,"  she  said, 
in  a  slightly  trembling  voice.  "  They 
have  the  padre's  blessing,  given  them  on 
last  St.  Miguel's  day,  and.  Holy  Mother ! 
you  say  he  is  a  villain." 

"  Never  mind,  mother  sweet ;  it  will 
all  come  right,  depend  upon  it.  I  will 
look  well  to  our  dear  little  girl's  inter- 
est." And  as  she  was  about  to  enter 
some  protest,  he  went  on  in  the  half- 
persuasive,  half-authoritative  tone  which 
always  silenced  all  doubts  in  Doiia  Lise- 
ta's  breast.  "  Can't  you  trust  me,  moth- 
er ?  I  give  my  life  " — an  oft-expressed 
exaggeration  among  the  Mexicans  of  a 
pledge  of  faithfulness ;  to  Pablo,  alas,  in 
this  instance  something  of  a  precursor — 


17 


"I  give  my  life  that  'CensioJi's  fntaro 
shall  be  all  we  wish  it.  Promise  me 
now  that  no  more  thought  of  this  mat- 
ter shall  find  a  place  in  your  heart, 
mother  mine,"  he  said,  placing  his  two 
liands  on  her  shoulders  and  turning  her 
around  in  the  road  preparatory  to  the 
return  to  the  house. 

"My  son,  you  are  in  all  things  right 
and  perfect;  I  will  not  trouble  my  heart 
more.  Surely  the  Blessed  Mother  will 
not  let  harm  come  to  her,"  she  ejacu- 
lated, lifting  her  eyes  and  crossing  her- 
self. "Yes,  Pablo,  I  trust  you  entire- 
ly," and  neither  spoke  further  as  they 
slowly  retraced  their  steps. 

Pablo's  glance  turned  in  the  direction 
of  the  river,  where  could  be  seen  several 
half-finished  lines  of  adobe  wall,  the  win- 
dow apertures  standing  boldly  outlined 
in  the  lisrht  of  the  half-niojht  fallen  over 
the  fields.     A  deep  sadness  crept  over 


18 


his  face,  and,  grown  oblivious  of  his  com- 
panion and  the  late  conversation,  he  did 
not  even  notice  the  glances  of  pity  his 
mother  gave  to  him,  too  absorbed  in 
the  sad  memories  with  which  this  half- 
finished  ruin  filled  his  heart.  Those 
same  lialf-built  walls  w^ere  to  have  been 
his  home  !  A  few  months  before  he 
htid  watched  the  death  dews  gather  on 
the  face  of  the  woman  who  w\as  to  have 
shared  it  with  him.  lloldino:  still  her 
chilled'  hand  in  liis  in  that  awful  mo- 
ment, he  found  no  comfort  in  the  whis- 
pered words  that  the  other,  "the  little 
life,"  was  spared,  to  him.  Plis  heart  had 
closed  suddenly  at  the  seeming  mockery 
of  a  recompense  so  cruel.  He  could 
have  laughed  aloud  in  his  agony  that 
they  should  try  to  comfort  him  thus, 
try  to  hint  that  he  was  not  altogether 
bereft,  that  he  had  this  wee  thing  in 
exchange  for  her,  his  wife,  his  Ysidora  ! 


19 


In  the  dark  days  that  followed  he  did 
not  even  remember  the  small  creature 
they  had  called  Ysidora  at  the  young 
mother's  request.  The  feeble  little  life 
lingered  on  a  few  weeks,  then  flickered 
out,  leaving  liim  to  wonder  why  the 
seemingly  useless,  sorrow-burdened  jour- 
ney should  ever  have  been  made  at  all. 
In  this  mystery  of  life-giving  death  it 
comforted  him  to  think  that  perhaps 
the  young  mother,  seeing  the  little  one 
left  behind,  had  begged  of  Heaven  that 
it  might  come  back  to  her  there. 

Always  devoted  to  his  mother  and 
'Cension,  Pablo's  recent  scathing  expe- 
rience of  sorrow  had  made  him  more 
gentle,  more  considerately  loving  and 
loyal  than  ever  before,  if  that  were  pos- 
sible, and  the  gentle  mother  knew  well 
that  she  could  trust  his  sister's  future  to 
his  watchful  care. 

"When    Ednardo    Lerma    bowed    his 


20 


huenas  noclies  to  tlie  party  in  front  as 
he  stood,  whip  in  hand,  ready  to  spring 
into  the  saddle,  Dona  Liseta  tried  not 
to  give  a  different  inflection  to  her  or- 
dinary tone  of  adios.  But  there  came 
a  deep  wrinkle  of  perplexity  into  her 
usually  placid  forehead,  and  an  uncon- 
scious sigh  escaped  her  as  she  noted 
'Cension's  lingering  gaze  down  the  shad- 
owy lane  that  hid  the  departing  fig- 
ure of  man  and  horse,  while  the  hoof 
notes  still  sounded  softly  in  the  dusty 
road. 

Had  not  Pablo  doubted  him  —  pre- 
dicted trouble  ?  and  could  Pablo  ever 
be  mistaken  ? 

Later,  when  all  was  quiet, 'Cension,  in 
a  two-piece  night-dress,  her  beautiful  hair 
falling  over  her  shoulders,  came  into  a 
room  to  the  right  of  the  hall,  and,  light- 
ing the  many  candles   about  an  altar. 


21 


dropped  softl\Mipon  lier  knees,  and  com- 
menced telling  the  rosary  she  carried. 

Oh,  for  such  faith  in  our  Saviour  as 
this  innocent  girl  lavished  upon  the 
presence  of  this  imaged  Holy  Mother, 
if  not  upon  the  actual  wooden  sem- 
blance itself  !  Restless  of  lieart,  to  this 
she  had  come  for  comfort.  The  draped 
Madonna  before  which  she  knelt  was  a 
miserably  wrought  effigy.  To  the  child 
of  nature  kneeling  there  it  was  the  em- 
bodiment of  grace  and  sweetness.  Her 
faith  was  that  of  a  true  believer,  not  the 
mere  consent  of  the  mind  to  an  abstract 
proposition  ;  and  it  was  the  ruling  prin- 
ciple of  her  life.  Reared  in  the  well- 
settled  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  within 
a  few  miles  of  Paso  del  Xorte  and  the 
rushing  young  city  of  El  Paso,  which 
the  Americans  had  built  as  in  a  night 
on  the  river's  other  bank,  this  girl  had 
grown  up  in  a  seclusion  and  innocence 


22 


almost  incredible.  Notliing  of  dissipa- 
tion more  tlian  an  occasional  visit  to 
Paso  del  IN'ortc,  and  less  frequent  ones 
to  Ysleta,  in  the  other  direction,  broke 
the  monotony  of  her  days — that  indeed 
knew  no  monotony,  for  it  is  rare  that 
untried  wings  long  for  the  soarings  of 
the  practised  flyer. 

Dofia  Liseta  had  insisted  that  her 
children  should  have  educational  ad- 
vantages. Iticardo,  with  no  ideas  in 
his  thick  head  save  those  of  peace,  felt 
that  "accomplished"  children  would  add 
to  the  respect  with  which  his  neighbors 
already  regarded  him ;  it  had  had  an 
enlarging  effect  upon  his  soul  and  a 
correspondingly  loosening  effect  upon 
his  pocketbook.  So  a  little  more  than 
two  years  before  he  had  harnessed  the 
stout,  respectable  broncos  to  the  wagon- 
ette, while  the  mother  and  old  Santas 
made  divers  preparations  within  for  the 


23 


comfort  of  the  clear  one  starting  on  so 
important  a  journey  —  surreptitiously 
stowing  away  much  viznaga  as  a  pan- 
acea for  homesickness.  'Cension  had 
journeyed  down  the  valley  to  San  Eli- 
zario,  where  she  stayed  for  two  years, 
with  much  contentment  and  great  profit, 
with  the  Sisters  of  Loretto.  They  had 
not  taught  her  overmuch  learning  out  of 
books,  but  enough  to  refine  the  capable 
mind  and  stimulate  the  prodigal  imag- 
ination. For  serious  study  she  had  no 
vocation.  Pablo,  three  years  previous  to 
this,  had  studied  for  several  terms  w4th 
tlie  Christian  Brothers  at  Las  Vestas.  He 
spoke  excellent  English,  and  had  been 
employed  on  the  "  Mexican  Central " 
between  Paso  del  Korte  and  the  City 
of  Mexico.  In  one  of  these  engage- 
ments in  Chihuahua  he  met  and  mar- 
ried Ysidora  Esperion.  He  brought  his 
wife  to  liis  father's,  intending  to  build 


24 


his  own  house  on  the  farm,  determined 
to  settle  into  farming  and  take  the  man- 
agement of  the  phice  into  his  own  hands, 
as  the  influx  of  Americans  brought  a 
wide  demand  for  all  farm  products. 

Old  Ricardo  declared  that  the  rela- 
tion between  the  devil  and  the  Ameri- 
canos was  of  the  closest,  but  did  not 
scorn  the  American's  dollar.  lie  him- 
self became  somewhat  imbued  with  the 
current  belief  which  swayed  Pablo  and 
his  poorer  neighbors,  that  good  times 
were  coming  with  the  advent  of  the 
white  men  and  their  wonderful  railroads. 
The  faith  was  infectious  ;  easy-going 
Ricardo  Dorantes  actually  so  far  forgot 
liimself  in  those  daj^s  as  positively  to  sit 
and  speculate  upon  the  increased  value 
of  his  possessions  with  almost  as  much 
gusto  as  the  grasping  Americans  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river  were  speculating 
in  corner  lots. 


25 


But  Ricardo  was  finding,  to  his  disen- 
chantment, as  several  years  passed,  that 
the  supposed  easily  despoiled  American 
insisted  upon  having  value  received  for 
all  his  loose  cash.  Though  they  had 
come  and  settled  in  a  body  and  built  a 
brick  city,  whicli  to  indolent  Eicardo's 
mind  could  only  have  been  built  by 
magic  or  his  Satanic  Majesty's  help,  he 
was  no  better  off  in  this  world's  goods 
than  before  the  whistle  of  the  locomo- 
tive echoed  through  the  valley.  Of  the 
white  man's  energy  and  enterprise  he 
knew  naught.  He  felt  a  sense  of  deep 
injury  from  the  increased  activity  which 
Pablo  thouo;lit  necessarv  to  inauo^urate 
in  order  to  produce  and  sell  according 
to  the  new  demand.  He  had  never 
meant  to  work  for  the  advantages  that 
ought  to  fall  upon  him  unsolicited  with 
the  advent  of  the  Americans,  and  his 
dreams  were  becomino^  fainter  and  faint- 


26 


er  of  the  day  when  he,  Don  Ricardo, 
would  enjoy  his  horde  of  the  ungodly 
American  dollar. 

With  the  inconsistency  of  all  Mexi- 
cans, Ricardo  would  never  accept  the 
eagle -and -cactus -stamped  dollar  of  his 
own  country  from  an  American.  One 
could  not  say  whether  it  was  his  great 
respect  for  tlie  fierce-looking  American 
"aigle  bird,"  which  is  able  to  hold  dis- 
tended wings  despite  the  libel  over  his 
head,  or  deep  contempt  for  the  ironical 
"libertad"  on  his  own  country's  coin. 
Neither  could  one  say  to  what  trades 
union  Don  Ricardo  belonged,  but  cer- 
tain it  is  that  the  term  ''  scab  "  or  "  rat " 
could  never  be  applied  to  him  in  his 
dealings  with  the  foreigners.  He  would 
never  have  passed  for  one  of  those  geni- 
al souls  that  might  "  take  some  cordial- 
ity in  part  payment  where  others  take 
cash."    Possessing  a  large  estate,  a  large 


laguna  and  well-kept  acequias,  Ricardo 
^vas  still  ambitions.  He  had  heard  that 
wonderful  snms  had  been  received  for 
the  right  of  way  for  the  new  railroad 
throngh  lots  in  Paso  del  ISTorte.  lie 
felt  deeply  injured  that  that  inconsid- 
erate surveyors'  party  had  given  his 
fields  so  wide  a  berth  when  they  came 
with  their  incomprehensible  chains  and 
bad  Spanish  through  the  valley.  ]N"oth- 
ing  more  tangible  was  ever  seen  by  Ri- 
cardo of  his  expectations  from  that  rail- 
road business  than  the  long  trailing  line 
of  smoke  in  the  distance,  to  be  seen 
from  his  rear  door  as  the  Mexican  Cen- 
tral engines  rushed  along  the  foothills 
to  the  south. 

By  dint  of  good  management,  with 
the  help  of  old  Placido,  Pablo  found  a 
ready  sale  across  the  river  for  their  al- 
falfa and  fruit,  as  well  as  for  the  reed 
baskets  which  Casamira  (Placido' s  wife) 


28 


and  tlie  other  women  braided.  Grand- 
niotlier  Santas,  and  even  'Cension,  often 
gave  a  helping  hand  to  tliese  in  the  long 
afternoons  in  the  shaded  patio. 

Bat  since  his  late  sad  experience 
Pablo  had  lost  all  interest  in  money- 
making  schemes.  But  for  his  growing 
anxiety  about  Eduardo  Lerma's  inten- 
tions, he  would  have  solicited  railroad 
employment  again,  that  he  might  find 
in  more  active  scenes  some  solace  for 
his  restless  heart.  Noble  fellow  that  he 
was,  his  own  desires  became  secondary 
considerations  when  there  was  a  ques- 
tion of  anxiety  or  danger  for  his  mother 
or  'Cension. 

So  the  days  passed,  and  the  autumn 
came.  There  was  a  note  of  sadness 
through  the  valley,  as  if  the  very  call- 
ing cordoniz  and  swaying  weeds  felt 
the   coming  death.      There  was   a   pa- 


29 


tlietic  sorrow  in  the  llno^erino:  drift  of 
the  fulling  leaf  as  it  sank  noiselessly 
among  its  fellows  in  tlie  carpeted  soft- 
ness beneath.  The  last  grapes  had  been 
gathered  and  the  wine  pressed.  Pla- 
cido  had  tramped  across  the  bridge  the 
day  before  with  the  last  basket  of  sad- 
skinned  pears.  And  still  Pablo  had  seen 
Lerma  come  day  after  day  and  had  said 
no  word  !  He  had  never  reopened  the 
subject  to  his  mother  after  that  night 
by  the  field ;  and  she,  never  doubting, 
had  as  nearly  as  possible  kept  her 
promise  to  give  it  no  place  in  her 
lieart. 

Don  Eicardo  enjoyed  unnumbered 
siestas  in  the  drowsy  autumn  air,  and 
his  good-natured  pock-marked  visage 
showed  no  anxiety  for  things  spiritual, 
civil,  ecclesiastical,  terrestrial,  or  matri- 
monial. He  knew  as  little  of  sentiment 
and  soul  as  of  the  domestic  habits  of 


the  Tonga  Islanders.  There  was  one, 
and  only  one,  subject  that  could  ever 
provoke  Ilicardo  to  a  reply  or  a  per- 
pendicular position  of  body,  and  that 
was  the  wine  -  making.  He  would  sit 
stoically  through  old  Santas's  sorrowful, 
disjointed  details  of  the  daughter-in- 
law's  death,  the  new  pattern  of  'Cen- 
sion's  last  drawn  linen,  the  excellence 
of  the  last  goat  cheese,  and  the  inevita- 
ble reiteration  that  Ysidora's  baby  would 
now  be  living  if  only  they  could  have 
prepared  that  dose  of  melted  lard  and 
indigo  with  more  despatch.  But  when 
Ynocente  would  rush  in  with  the  start- 
ling information  that  the  new  cow-skin 
Una  was  leaking,  or  that  more  baskets 
of  grapes  had  come  from  the  vineyard^ 
his  alacrity  to  vanish  left  the  dear  old 
woman  staring  wuth  disgust  at  his  favor- 
ite seat,  worn  smooth  as  furbished  iron. 
"  Always  the  wine  !    Ricardo  will  never 


31 


care  for  anjtliing  else,"  she  would  mut- 
ter— and  Eicardo  didn't. 

Of  all  the  beverages  since  man  aban- 
doned the  exclusive  use  of  pure  cold 
^Yater,  the  native  wine  of  Eicardo's  val- 
ley was  the  only  one  of  which  he  had 
any  conception.  Of  wine  that  never 
^'grew  in  the  belly  of  the  grape,"  of 
champagne  made  of  rhubarb,  apples, 
turnips,  and  other  trash,  port  made  of 
logwood  and  brandy,  and,  as  chemists 
aver,  even  of  the  refuse  of  gas-works, 
Eicardo  knew  naught.  To  his  mind  a 
man  must  either  drink  wine  like  that 
perfected  from  the  juice  that  rose 
around  the  ankles  of  Placido's  naked 
feet  as  he  crushed  the  bursting  grape 
cups,  or  —  not  exactly  confine  his  liba- 
tions to  the  pump,  but  in  Eicardo's  ver- 
nacular—  '''tornar  su  behida  de  la  ace- 
quiaP 

And  'Cension  ?    With  an  ever-ripen- 


ing  bean t J  that  was  almost  startling  she 
lived  tlie  days  in  virgin  speculations  and 
heart-stirrings.  The  simple,  pastoral  life 
fostered  idealistic  pnrit}^ ;  with  the  very 
sticks  and  stones  of  lier  daily  rambles 
came  suggestive  day-dreams. 

It  was  now  September,  and  Pablo  had 
promised  her  that  she  should  go  with 
him  to  the  festivities  in  Paso  del  Norte 
on  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth.  Then 
the  seventy-eighth  anniversary  of  Mexi- 
can independence  would  be  celebrated, 
the  statue  of  Juarez  unveiled,  and  the 
name  of  the  old  town  officially  changed 
from  Paso  del  I^orte  to  Juarez,  in  honor 
of  that  patriot.  It  was  to  be  a  "  great 
day."  The  air  was  full  of  discussion 
and  preparation.  'Cension  could  think 
of  nothing  else.  She  always  attended 
the  fiesta  de  Guadalupe,  but  this  was 
to  be  "  so  much  grander."  A.  Fuentes, 
and  Seiior  Rafael  Calderon  de  la  Barca, 


33 


tlie  greatest  handerillerom  Mexico,  were 
to  be  there ;  and  Senor  Dagiierre  liad 
enlarged  the  bull-ring.  A  new  §10,000 
monte  game  was  to  be  played,  besides 
roulette,  faro,  and  chuck-a-luck,  as  well  as 
twelve  tables  of  the  national  "  chuzes." 
Senor  Lauro  Carillo,  governor  of  Chi- 
huahua, had  suggested  the  new  name 
for  the  town,  as  a  fitting  tribute  to  one 
of  Mexico's  heroes,  and  his  constituents, 
in  their  desire  to  honor  the  memory  of 
Benito  Juarez,  did  not  deem  it  a  small 
undertaking  to  thus  change  a  name 
of  three  hundred  years'  standing. 

The  Americans,  too,  were  interested 
and  curious,  and  poured  across  the 
bridsce — to  the  horse-car  stockholders' 
delight — to  see  the  bull-fights  and  take 
a  hand  at  the  games  of  chance  lining 
the  plaza.  This  anticipated  treat  filled 
'Cension's  eyes  and  heart  with  a  great 
gladness  and  actually  made  her  guilty 


34 


of  curtailing  the  many  Hail  Marys  and 
the  few  Our  Fathers  with  which  she 
finished  her  nightly  devotions,  in  order 
that  she  might  the  sooner  give  herself 
up  to  thoughts  of  the  coming  event. 


n 


One  morning,  before  the  birds  bad 
finished  their  matin  burst  of  song, 'Cen- 
sion  stood  under  the  hedge  in  the  lane, 
watching,  through  a  break  in  its  yellow 
line,  old  Placido  bringing  the  brown 
and  gray  broncos  from  their  inter- 
rupted croppings  in  the  stubble.  The 
hedge  had  grown  brilliant,  though  so 
early  for  the  turning — an  exquisite  gold- 
en stretch  —  and  she  shook  the  amber 
leaves  down  upon  her  head  full  of  all 
manner  of  sweet  fancies.  She  still  stood 
deeply  engrossed,  with  many  sunny-hued 
patches  clinging  about  her,  when  Anita 
came  calling  her  to  the  early  breakfast. 
The  tortillas  and  chile  con  came  were 
scarcely  touched  in  her  absent-minded 


86 


hurry  to  be  off.  Don  Ricardo,  while  dis- 
posing of  red-hot  concoctions,  grumbled 
at  her  want  of  appetite. 

As  'Cension,  all  ready,  with  the  con- 
ventional black  shawl  over  her  head,  was 
about  to  climb  into  the  wagon,  there  was 
a  gentle  tug  at  her  skirts.  Anita,  with 
downcast  countenance,  held  out  her  small 
hand,  saying, 

"  Here,  'Cension,  take  my  tlacos  and 
bring  me  something." 

"  Why,  Anita,  are  you  not  going 
yourself  f  she  exclaimed,  in  much  sur- 
prise. 

"  No,"  the  child  answered,  shortl}", 
because  more  words  would  bring  an 
accompaniment  of  tears. 

"  But  7namd  said  you  were  to  go. 
Why  are  you  not  going?" 

"  Quieii  sabe^^  she  answered,  with  a 
tearful  upward  look  and  the  national 
shruo;  of  the  shoulders. 


37 


''  You  mast  go,  Anita !  I  will  see 
what  it  means,"  said  'Cension,  turning 
towards  the  corral,  and  ignoring  the  ex- 
tended coins.  A  few  tlacos  was  wealth 
to  Anita.  Now  that  she  had  two  Amer- 
ican pieces-dimes,  she  had  dreamed  of 
worthy  purchases.  And  now  she  was 
not  to  go !  But  'Cension  had  said  she 
must,  and  'Cension  was  good ;  she  would 
not  despair.  So  she  stood,  a  picture 
of  hope  and  fear,  as  she  w^atched  her  sis- 
ter's graceful  figure  disappear. 

A  woman  knelt  in  the  shade  from 
the  wall,  rubbing  the  kernels  of  boiled 
corn  between  the  stones  of  the  metate. 
She  answered  'Cension's  question  of  her 
mother's  whereabouts  without  looking 
up,  and  in  a  jerky  fashion,  chopping 
the  words  in  time  to  the  vigorous  rubs 
of  the  long  white-flecked  stone  she  held 
in  her  hands  — "  The  seuora  is  in  her 


room. 


38 


'Cension  passed  on  to  the  sleeping- 
rooms.  She  found  her  mother  inspect- 
ing, for  immediate  use,  Iticardo's  serajye 
of  bright-colored  stripes.  With  the  first 
suggestion  of  chill  in  the  air  it  must  be 
ready  for  his  donning.  And  had  she 
not  that  very  day  imagined  there  was 
a  growing  fresh  crispness  in  the  morn- 
ing? So  when  her  lord  departed  for 
the  goat-sheds  she  hurried  to  the  wood- 
en chest,  and  drawing  out  the  gaudy, 
fringed  blanket,  was  earnestly  overlook- 
ing its  stripes  for  broken  threads  when 
her  daughter  gently  touched  her  shoul- 
der. 

"  Wliy,  child,  how  you  startled  me ! 
I  thought  you  were  gone,  past  the  alamos 
by  now." 

"  No,  mother,  I  am  not  gone,  as  you 
see.  Anita  must  go  too!  I  do  not 
care  to  go  without  her,"  she  said,  with 
tears  in   her  voice,  as  she  remembered 


39 


a  certain  little  sorrowful  face  in  the 
road. 

"  Tut,  child,  go  !  Anita  will  only  be 
in  the  way,  and  besides  there  w411  be 
such  a  crowd." 

"But  I  will  keep  her  hand,"  she  an- 
swered, "  and  Pablo  will  meet  us  there 
with  the  boys." 

"It  is  no  use,  'Cension,"  the  mother 
returned, with  some  firmness.  "  Go  along. 
Leave  the  child  at  home.  It  is  best  for 
her.  Some  other  time  she  can  go ;  it 
does  not  matter." 

"But  it  does  matter,"  persisted  'Cen- 
sion. "You  had  told  her  she  could  go; 
she  will  be  so  triste  all  day.  Mamaci- 
ta^^  she  went  on,  laying  her  arm  over 
Dona  Liseta's  shoulder,  caressingly, 
"  you  will  let  her  go  ?  You  will  not 
make  her  unhappy  V  And  the  sefiora 
yielded,  as  any  other  would  yield  under 
the  spell  of  a  like  persuasion. 


40 


They  started  down  the  lane,  Anita 
smiling  happily  in  her  sisters  face,  Pla- 
cido  with  an  aniline-colored  scarf  knot- 
ted around  his  unironed  shirt,  and  his 
esposa  wdth  her  cotton  parasol  held  aloft 
where  one  point  could  unerringly  enter 
her  husband's  left  ear.  The  whole  par- 
ty appeared  muy  contenta.  Casamira 
usually  appeared  on  the  road  seated 
in  front  of  Placido  on  old  Prieto,  while 
he  held  a  rein  from  behind  on  eithei' 
side  of  her  buxom  waist ;  and  she  was 
elated  at  this  drive  in  state.  Dona  Li- 
seta  stood  smiling  in  the  door,  thinking 
proudly  how  pretty  'Cension  was,  and 
what  a  loving,  unselfish  heart  she 
had.  But  as  she  waved  the  last  adios 
to  the  smiling  pair  in  the  rear  of  the 
wagon,  she  sighed  softly,  and  returned 
to  the  blanket,  that  had  actually  dis- 
closed a  most  diminutive  rent,  with  a 
heart  heavy  with  a  foreboding  of — she 


41 


knew  not  what.  It  was  very  well  for 
Pablo  to  tell  her  to  put  it  out  of  her 
mind.  But  things  went  on  just  the 
same  as  before.  If  Pablo  knew  some- 
thing, as  he  said,  then  why  did  he  per- 
mit Lerma  to  continue  his  constant  vis- 
its and  undisguised  admiration  of  their 
'Cension  ? 

She  was  so  in  the  habit  of  ignoring 
Ricardo  in  matters  of  judgment  that  a 
consultation  with  him  did  not  promise 
comfort.  There  was  possibly  no  well 
in  this  vicinity  possessing  the  charms  of 
St.  Keyne's  in  Cornwall.  But  Dona  Li- 
seta  just  as  effectually  held  the  reins, 
in  her  unassumino;  meekness,  as  thouo-h 
she  had  tasted  tliose  magic  waters.  She 
must  mention  the  matter  again  to  Pablo. 
Thus  determining,  she  attacked  the  rent, 
and  stitched  in  with  her  leaf -green 
thread  many  conjectures  and  apprehen- 
sions. 


42 


T\\Q  fiesta  party  passed  into  tlie  pub- 
lic road.  The  mustangs,  seeming  to  real- 
ize the  situation,  trotted  at  a  brisk,  re- 
spectable gait  without  much  persuasion 
from  Placido's  wliip.  A  silence  soon 
fell  upon  the  quartette.  'Cension  was 
full  of  her  own  thoughts,  Anita  calcu- 
lating how  much  the  coins  tight!  j  rolled 
in  her  handkerchief  would  buy ;  and  tlie 
old  couple  in  front  were  silent  from 
mere  stupidity.  All  the  passing  objects 
were  fraught  Avitli  their  own  suggestive 
thoughts  to 'Cension.  Conversation  with 
any  one  of  the  trio  was  not  inviting. 
Anita  pulled  her  sister's  shawl  roughly, 
saying,  "  'Cension,  why  won't  you  talk  ? 
How  many  oranges  can  I  buy  with  a 
cent  ?" 

"l^one,"  answered  'Cension,  discour- 
agingly,  and  subsided  into  her  thoughts. 
Would  she  see  Eduardo  ? — a  dimpling 
smile  hovering  around  her  lips  at  the 


prospect.  If  she  had  only  known  wlien 
she  saw  him  three  days  ago,  and  told 
him  that  she  was  coming]  He  would 
have  been  so  pleased,  and  watched  for 
her,  instead  of  saying  that  he  would 
probably  not  be  there  at  all,  as  she  w\as 
not  to  go.  AYould  he  like  her  new 
print  of  lavender  and  pink  ?  Perhaps 
she  might  not  see  him  at  all ;  perhaps 
he  might  not  be  glad  that  she  had  come 
— no,  surely  not  that.  Why  did  Ed- 
uardo  never  care  whether  she  went  any- 
where or  not?  AVhy  did  he  never  seem 
to  expect  to  see  her  in  Paso  del  ]N"orte  ? 
She  would  not  doubt  him  —  oh,  no  ! — 
but  how  could  she  help  feeling  unhap- 
py when  he  told  her  of  his  gay  doings 
there,  of  balls,  and  suppers,  and  the  the- 
atre, just  as  if  it  were  another  world 
from  hers  and  she  outside  its  pale?  And 
"  I  am,  I  am,"  she  cried,  inwardly,  with 
quivering  lips. 


44 


Might  she  not  even  to-day  see  Jesii- 
sita  Barassa,  whom  he  so  often  men- 
tioned in  his  conversation  ?  She  won- 
dered what  she  was  like,  and  if  she  wore 
hats  Hke  the  Americans.  Eduardo  always 
spoke  of  her  as  a  very  superior  being  in- 
deed, with  an  air  which  sent  poor  'Cen- 
sion's  modest,  unassuming  heart  into  the 
depths.  She  was  often  almost  unhap- 
py over  Eduardo's  contradictory  moods, 
and,  in  truth,  cruel  bullying  of  her, 
'though,  poor  child,  she  did  not  know 
why.  He  was  the  sort  of  man,  even  in 
his  love  affairs,  to  lean  to  a  dash  of  the 
cruel  to  heighten  the  zest.  He  liked  a 
stone  in  his  snowball  even  when  in  jest ; 
and  after  one  of  his  visits  she  oftener 
felt  like  indulging  in  tears  than  happy 
retrospection. 

Anita's  voice  interrupted  her  reverie 
again,  this  time  to  some  purpose.  The 
child  would  not  be  silenced  now.     She 


45 


chatted  and  questioned  until  'Cension 
perforce  must  take  a  part,  too,  and  the 
ahiiost  gloomy  musings  were  lost  in  oth- 
er interests  as  the  leather-covered  wagon, 
creaking  through  tlie  sandy  road,  passed 
at  shorter  intervals  the  adohe  homes 
along  the  way.  They  seemed  already 
in  town,  for  Paso  del  Norte  strings  out 
her  domains  into  confusino^  intersectino^ 
streets  and  lanes  and  walls,  afar  in  ev- 
ery direction,  till  the  oldest  inhabitant 
could  never  tell  you  where  its  limits 
proper  begin  or  end. 

Placido  was  telling  them  of  his  expe- 
rience of  the  day  before  with  the  cus- 
toms inspector  at  the  Texas  end  of  the 
bridge,  and  they  all  laughed  and  sympa- 
thized just  at  the  right  point  for  the  nar- 
rator's greatest  delectation,  when  'Cen- 
sion interrupted  him  with — 

"Placido,  what  are  baseballs?  Seiior 
Lerma  gave  me  a  copy  of  El  Cmdadano 


46 


on  Sunday,  and  it  says  that  tlie  Ameri- 
cans across  the  river  are  going  to  liave 
'  baseballs.'     AYliat  are  they,  Placido  ?" 

"  Baseballs  ?  Why,  baseballs  are  on 
red  wagons,  senorita.  I  have  seen  them 
often." 

"  But,  Placido,  what  are  the  '  Browns'  ? 
It  said  they  would  have  '  browns  '  too  ?" 

"  Oil,  tlie  '  browns ' !  That's  the  one 
with  the  hose  rolled  round  it." 

"Why, Placido,  I  do  believe  you  mean 
those  things  for  putting  out  fires !  Pablo 
once  told  me  all  about  them." 

"Do  I?  Well,  then,  baseballs  must 
be  them  wheels  they  ride,"  for  Pla- 
cido had  no  intention  of  yielding  the 
field.  "  Those  fool  'Mericanos,"  he 
chuckled,  "  they  do  have  queer  things." 

There  was  much  of  interest  to  the 
couple  in  the  back  seat  now,  for  they 
were  quite  in  the  suburbs,  and  there 
was  much  to  see — many  crowded  vehi- 


47 


cles  bent,  like  tlieii*  own,  for  tlie  fiesta^ 
all  tlie  seiioritas  in  holiday  attire.  One 
could  not  give  a  more  convincing  proof 
of  'Cension's  ingenuousness  than  in 
the  fact  of  her  being  utterly  uncon- 
scious of  her  own  great  loveliness,  and 
of  her  never  once  comparing  her  own 
simple  figured  print  with  the  often 
gaudy  habiliments  displayed  on  the 
road.  In  truth,  the  comparison  need 
have  brought  no  discomfort  to  her,  for 
the  bright  greens,  blues,  rose  colors  and 
purples — why  will  Mexican  women  so 
outrage  their  thick  complexions  ! — were 
a  blot  upon  the  bright  morning. 

A  robustious  senora,  in  a  brilliant 
purple  gown,  with  a  grass-green  aniline- 
bordered  shawl  over  her  head,  was  so 
utterly  unconscious  of  the  disparity  as 
to  make  it  positively  delightful.  'Cen- 
sion  avoided  these  glaring  combinations, 
that  would  slay  a  color  critic,  not  so 


48 


mucli  from  a  defined  superior  taste  as 
from  an  instinctive  shrinking  from  any 
thing  hizari'e.  Her  tastes  were  like  her 
own  sweet  nature,  subdued  and  chaste. 

The  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens 
when  they  passed  Jose  Flores's  store  on 
the  corner  and  turned  into  the  main 
thoroughfare.  Now  they  were  indeed 
in  town,  and  tlie  avenida  jprincipal  was 
one  great  confusion. 

"  Let's  go  to  tlie  church  first,"  plead- 
ed 'Cension,  when  Placido  had  safely 
disposed  of  the  horses.  So  they  climbed 
the  few  rough  steps  to  the  elevation 
where  the  old  adobe  cathedral  stood. 
The  recumbent  gravestones  of  ancient 
dates  in  the  yard  and  the  strange  old 
pewless  interior  were  ever  interesting  to 
'Cension.  These  worn  stones  about  her 
feet,  their  mortuary  art  and  illegible 
lettering,  seemed  to  her  a  sorrowful  re- 
buke to  mourners  who  would  fain  have 


49 


declared  the  lasting  nature  of  tlieir  grief. 
She  looked  down  upon  these  once  im- 
maculate tributes,  and  wondered  if  the 
knees  of  penitents  in  their  journeys  to 
and  from  the  sacred  edifice  had  not 
helped  in  wearing  away  their  chiselled 
encomiums.  In  her  simplicity  she  won- 
dered why,  after  all,  the  living  should 
persist  in  procLamations  of  eternal  re- 
gret for  the  dead,  which  are  so  often 
proven  a  lie  by  the  after -conduct  of 
the  inconsolable.  The  flowers  she  or 
Pablo  laid  daily  upon  Ysidora's  grave 
seemed  to  her  so  much  more  honest — 
they  would  last  no  longer  than  their 
grief.  A  pair  of  patent- hinged  green 
doors  ornamented  w^itli  brass  tacks  had 
taken  the  place  of  the  worm  -  eaten, 
hand-carved,  solid  wood  curiosities  that 
'Cension  saw  when  last  there,  and 
showed  the  growth  of  American  enter- 
prise.    This  seemed  indeed  sacrilegious. 


50 


and  her  heart  was  filled  witli  indigna- 
tion at  the  stupid  creatures  for  this 
brand-new  silk  patch  in  the  poor  old 
threadbare  garment.  So  incongruous 
was  it  as  to  be  ludicrous. 

They  all  stopped  at  the  font,  and  dip- 
ping their  fingers  in  the  holy  water,  de- 
voutly crossed  themselves ;  then  going 
forward,  the  party  knelt  on  the  bare 
floor,  with  many  others,  and  told  their 
beads. 

There  was  a  small  coffin  covered  with 
red  calico  and  cotton  lace  deposited  on 
the  altar  of  the  infant  Jesus  on  the  left. 
The  accompanying  mourners  knelt  and 
squatted  about,  awaiting  the  padre's  sig- 
nal when  the  ceremonies  were  over. 
Anita's  eyes  grew  round  and  startled 
as  the  cortege  passed  near  her,  and  she 
clutched  'Cension's  skirts  tightly,  and 
all  thoughts  of  prayer  left  her  mind  in 
watching  the  funeral  procession  as  the 


51 


gay  little  box  was  carried  into  tlie  street. 
The  rollicking,  reel-like  melody  played 
on  the  metallic -soundini!:  strinc^ed  in- 
strunients  escortinof  it  still  drifted  back 
into  the  quiet  church. 

Anita  did  not  believe  with  her  coun- 
trymen that  it  was  unreasonable  and 
sinful  to  grieve  for  a  child  that  dies. 
AYhen  our  troops  march  along  the 
streets  the  rabble  march  with  them, 
as  if  on  duty  too,  with  a  defiant -like 
bearing  and  an  air  of  announcing  that 
"  Americans  never,  never,  shall  be 
slaves ;"  and  the  rabble  that  accompa- 
nies the  jubilant  funeral  train  of  Mexi- 
can youth  proclaims,  by  a  bearing  and 
expression  that  says,  as  plainly,  "  Ninas 
never,  never,  should  be  grown  up !" 

'Cension's  devout  heart  was  always 
full  of  pleasure  in  her  few  opportuni- 
ties of  kneeling  here,  where  it  all  seemed 
so   much    nearer    heaven    than    in   the 


52 


primitive  cliurcli  near  lier  home,  where 
the  candles  were  principally  furnished 
by  old  Placido  as  penance.  He  some- 
times lost  faith  in  the  saints,  and  sent 
forth  blasphemous  beratings  when  the 
burros  laid  down  with  their  packs^  or 
he  gambled,  and,  returning  home  happ}^ 
with  pulque  and  profit,  pounded  Casa- 
mira. 

Before  this  beautiful  altar  of  the  Di- 
vine Mother,  where  she  loved  to  kneel, 
it  seemed  so  near  heaven  'Cension  could 
forget  all  problems.  The  many  lights 
at  the  chancel  looked  dim  in  the  large 
room.  To  an  anti-Homanist  it  all  looked 
cheerless  and  little  enough  like  being  in 
the  vicinity  of  heaven's  portals.  The 
hand -carved  rafters  overhead  were  a 
gloomy  brown  from  age.  The  faded 
images  and  altar  trappings  looked  abso- 
lutely ghastly.  Unframed  oil  paintings 
on  the  w^alls  seemed  to  Anita's  excited 


53 


fancy  to  wink  their  eyes  when  she  looked 
at  them.  When  the  unseen  choir  in  the 
loft  began  a  weird  chanting  with  a  nasal 
melancholy  trail  of  voices  and  discord- 
ant instrument  in  accompaniment,  it  add- 
ed to  the  strangeness,  but  not  an  iota  to 
the  heavenliness,  to  Anita's  mind.  She 
felt  sure  the  drops  of  blood  falling  from 
a  heart  in  a  painting  over  her  head  were 
real  blood — and  implored  'Cension  to  go. 

'Cension  rose  and  signalled  to  Casa- 
mira,  who  came  reluctantly,  having  been 
employed  with  the  question  of  a  red  or 
blue  tapaloiov  winter,  and  the  probable 
price  of  shoes  for  her  noisy  progeny.  It 
was  time,  too,  high  time  for  the  bull-fight ! 

The  bugle  sounded  as  they  entered, 
and  our  party  dropped  into  their  seats 
as  a  large  dun  -  colored  bull  rushed 
tlirough  tlie  open  gates.  Ferocious  at 
first,  he  cowered  and  refused  to  make  a 
charo;e  when  Artenoiz;enes  de  la  Forre 


54 


teased  and  prodded  him  with  liis  gaudy 
darts.  In  disgust,  Fuentes,  witli  a  dex- 
terous thrust  of  a  two-edged  sword,  felled 
the  animal  to  the  ground,  and  loudly 
demanded  a  better.  The  unworthy  con- 
testant was  ignominiously  dragged  away 
amid  shouts,  and  an  animal  looking  ev- 
ery inch  equal  to  fight  rushed  out  of 
the  gate.  With  lowered  head  he  dashed 
madly  at  a  flaunting  red  cloak  waved  at 
him,  and  his  agile  tormentor  only  es- 
caped his  vengeance  by  disappearing 
behind  the  strong  board  shield,  forget- 
ting his  gracefulness  in  his  hurry. 

Suddenly  'Cension's  attention  was  di- 
verted. Could  that  be  Eduardo  passing 
out  ?  Yes,  she  could  never  mistake  him. 
And  he  was  looking  in  their  direction, 
too !  Did  he  not  see  her  when  she 
waved  her  white  handkerchief  at  him  ? 
She  thought  lie  must  have,  and  her  heart 
went  down  like  lead  as  he  passed  quite 


out  of  sight.  A  sensation  of  burning 
heat,  then  cold,  swept  over  her  entire 
body  as  she  wrestled  with  the  disap- 
pointment, or  doubt  —  which  was  it  ? 
A  moment  later,  being  hard  pressed  by 
his  antagonist,  the  toreador  turned  swift- 
ly and  struck  the  point  of  his  steel  blade 
through  the  bull's  heart. 

The  sight  made  'Cension  faint  and 
sick,  and  she  could  stand  it  no  longer. 
The  sight  of  the  poor  mutilated  beasts, 
the  Mexicans  yelling  "Bravo!"  when  the 
banderillero  got  the  best  of  the  bull ; 
the  Americans  yelling  louder  "  Bravos !" 
when  the  bull  tossed  the  matador  up  in 
the  air,  was  altogether  enough  for  'Cen- 
sion. She  declared  she  must  go,  despite 
Placido  and  Casamira's  protests. 

"  You  are  a  fine  Mexican,"  growled 
Placido,  "too  poor-spirited  to  see  the 
bull-fight !" 

"I  think  it  is  cruel  and  dreadful," 


56 


declared  'Cension,  warmly,  and  Anita 
pressed  her  hand  approvingly^ 

They  met  Pablo  outside,  but  he  begged 
them  to  go  on,  as  he  would  stay  to  see 
the  fireworks  of  the  evening,  and  con- 
sult with  the  jefe  ^politico  about  the 
next  day's  programme,  especially  the 
oraciones. 

'Cension  cared  nothing  for  these  pa- 
triotic effusions,  and  felt  even  very  lit- 
tle respect  for  the  rather  insignificant 
brown  bust  of  Juarez  on  its  pedestal  of 
Orizaba  marble,  though  it  had  been  sent 
by  Diaz  himself.  She  told  Pablo  that 
she  had  met  Seuores  Alverez  and  Can- 
dano,  who  wanted  to  speak  to  him  in 
regard  to  the  parade.  Telling  him  they 
would  not  wait,  after  making  their  mod- 
est purchases  at  La  tienda  Eurojya — 
among  other  things  a  pretty  red  cellu- 
loid thimble  as  a  surprise  for  the  moth- 
er— they  started  homeward. 


57 


It  was  a  silent  party  on  the  return 
jonrnej.  The  reaction  liad  come.  Yer- 
ily  there  is  no  present  tense  to  perfect 
peace ;  it  is  indeed  an  infinitive  of  the 
future  only.  'Cension  felt  a  deep  sense 
of  depression  that  would  not  vanish  at 
her  bidding,  and  she  watched  the  com- 
ing  sunset  with  absently  conscious  in- 
terest. The  parting  tints  made  glad  all 
nature  as  the  sunset-e^un  from  Fort  Bliss 
echoed  faintly  down  the  valley,  "swing- 
ing low  with  sullen  roar,"  and  the  An- 
gelus  from  the  old  cathedral  came  with 
a  distant  mournful  cadence.  Even  the 
broncos  drooped  their  heads  in  an  in- 
jured, disconsolate  way. 

"When  they  finally  drew  up  before  the 
house,  Casamira  drew  forth  a  neat  little 
package  of  narrow  bits  of  corn  husks, 
shook  an  accurately  gauged  little  heap 
of  tobacco  upon  one  of  the  bits,  and  dex- 
terously rolled  a  cigarette  before  leaving 


58 


her  perch.  Placido,  still  sulky,  dragged 
his  cramped  old  legs  down  from  his  ele- 
vated seat  with  a  gront  of  general  dis- 
approval of  the  whole  day.  'Cension 
and  Anita  both  felt  a  deep  satisfaction 
at  being  at  home  again,  all  the  bright 
anticipations  of  the  morning  to  the  con- 
trary notwithstanding. 

"We  shall  not  want  you  to  take  us 
to  see  the  statue  of  Juarez  unveiled  to- 
morrow, Placido,"  said  'Cension,  quietly. 
"  We  do  not  care  to  go."  But  unrelenting 
Placido  only  grunted  again,  derisively, 
knowing  that  'Cension  would  not  be  of- 
fended by  his  gruffness. 

"You  are  very  late,"  complained 
Dona  Liseta,  when  'Cension  kissed  her 
with  a  w^armth  of  manner  as  if  it  had 
been  a  long  absence,  or  as  if  some  in- 
ward discontent  were  solaced  by  the 
comfort  of  mother  love.  "  I  am  afraid 
the  frijoles  and  tamales  are  cold,"  she 


went  on,  following  the  girls  as  tliey  went 
to  the  table. 

But  no  such  annoyance  awaited  them. 
The  neatly  heaped  tamales  were  steam- 
ing in  their  clean  shuck  wrappings,  and 
the  ()i-Axkfrijoles  were  piping  hot.  As 
'Cension  slowly  removed  a  phimp  ta- 
male^s  coat  she  answered  her  mother's 
questions  about  the  day,  letting  Anita 
chatter  on  with  uninterrupted  details. 
It  was  plainly  evident  she  neither  felt 
much  interest  for  the  day's  doings  now, 
nor  appetite  for  the  late  meal.  Then 
the  boys  rushed  in,  full  of  excitement, 
shouting,  "  Oh,  raadre,  it  was  grand  !" 
the  younger  one  bringing  up  the  rear 
still  echoing  the  reiteration  of  the  day, 
"  Yive  la  Mejico!"  which  had  evidently 
lodged  in  his  thick  head  in  great  num- 
bers, and  kept  popping  out  spasmodically. 

-Cension  took  this  opportunity  to  slip 
quietly  out. 


60 


An  hour  later  she  went  to  her  favor- 
ite place  under  a  great  cotton  wood,  and, 
seating  herself,  sang  soft,  pathetic  little 
songs,  accompanying  herself  upon  the 
guitar.  She  had  a  charming  voice,  most 
natural  and  sweet,  and  the  good  Sister 
Josefa  had  taught  her  carefully.  She 
kept  on  with  song  after  song,  then  glid- 
ed into  the  sweet,  swinging  melody  of 
"La  Golondrina": 

"Adonde  ira  veloz  y  fatigada, 
La  golondrina  que  de  aqui  se  va, 
Oh  si  en  el  viento  gemira  angustiada, 
Buscando  abrigoy  no  lo  encontrara ! 
Junto  a  mi  lecho  le  pond  re  su  nido 
En  donde  puede  la  estacion  pasar 
Tambien  yo  estoy  en  la  region  perdido, 
Oh !  cielo  santo  y  sin  poder  volar." 


Ill 

'Next  morning  Eduardo  Lerma  pre- 
sented liiniself,  yearning  for  a  sight  of 
lier  face.  'Cension  trembled  as  if  it 
were  a  question  of  life  or  death  to  lier 
as  she  asked  him  if  he  had  not  seen  her 
in  the  amphitheatre  af/e?\  He  told  his 
lie  with  composure.  She  believed  him 
in  the  natural  simplicity  of  her  heart. 
Seen  her,  of  course  lie  had  seen  her; 
but  how  was  he  to  have  had  the  moral 
courage  to  attach  himself  to  this  little 
dowdy  (alas,  for  the  dreams  of  the  lav- 
ender print  I)  country -girl,  even  if  she 
were  beautiful  as  a  houri,  with  Jesusita 
Barassa's  black  eyes  always  upon  him? 

"The  odimn  of  deception  falls  npon 
the  deceiver,  not  the  deceived."     One 


need  not  declare  tliat  this  man  enjoyed 
lying.  lie  hardly  seemed  like  those 
strange  ones  of  the  genus  homo  who 
really  prefer  telling  a  lie  when  the 
truth  would  serve  as  well.  He  believed 
in  little ;  if  he  had  any  theory  of  life,  it 
was,  that  the  world  consisted  of  wolves 
and  lambs,  and  one  must  make  his  choice 
as  to  which  flock  he  would  belong. 
When  it  served  his  purpose  to  lie  or 
deceive  he  did  it  boldly  and  well  as  only 
such  creatures  can. 

"I  enjoyed  nothing  of  yesterday's 
doings,  since  I  missed  seeing  you,"  he 
went  on,  dejectedly,  enjoying  the  rosy 
blush  the  words  brought  to  her  face. 
He  was  not  unlike  the  Spanish  surgeon 
who  used  to  stab  people  in  the  street, 
then  hasten  to  succor  them  with  all  the 
resources  of  his  art.  It  would  be  un- 
pardonable for  such  a  practitioner  to 
forget  his  lint  or  waylay  his  bandages. 


G3 


Lernia  enjoyed  cacli  wound  and  antidote 
he  gave  tliis  frank  creature,  playing 
with  her  confidence  as  a  child  would 
turn  a  piece  of  Labrador  spar,  dehghted 
at  the  gorgeous  colors  thrown  from  its 
lustreless  angles. 

They  were  standing  in  the  patio.  It 
seemed  to  Eduardo  that  the  girl's  beau- 
ty glowed  and  ripened  like  the  tints 
of  the  autumn.  He  watched  her  move- 
ments as  she  waved  her  hand  at  a 
drowsy  bee  that  sailed  too  near.  All 
at  once  he  felt  that  even  for  Jesusita 
Barassa  he  could  not  loose  this  perfect 
creature  !  A  shameful,  cruel  inspira- 
tion came  to  him  ;  perhaps  not  a  sud- 
den one. 

"  Why  can  we  not  go  to  Ysleta  now, 
'Cension  ?"  he  asked,  caressingly.  She 
was  surprised — puzzled. 

"  Father  Sal  vini  has  gone  to  Las  Cruces. 
We  could  not  be  married  now.     You 


64 


know  tliat  I  wish  no  otlicr  priest  to  bless 
us."     She  looked  at  him  earnestly. 

'"Cension!  you  love  me,  do  you  not? 
And  love  is  all,  anyway,"  he  answered, 
watching  her  narrowly,  and  using  the 
self-same  words  that  have  been  used  the 
world  over  by  such  as  he.  "  I  would 
have  you  for  my  own,  let  the  padre  go 
where  he  wdll."  He  finished  rather 
lamely,  looking  attentively  at  the  taper- 
ina;  brown  finfrers  he  held. 

The  poison  of  the  suggestion  passed 
over  the  innocent  heart  like  the  trailing 
raindrops  on  the  holly  leaf,  which  shows 
no  dampness  but  only  an  added  polish 
from  their  passing. 

"Pablo  would  not  like  me  to  go  to 
Ysleta  unless  he  went  too." 

At  the  mention  of  her  brother's  name 
a  change  came  over  the  tempter's  face. 
"Eduardo,"  she  went  on,  softly,  "I  hate 
to  see  you  care  so  little  for  the  church. 


65 


You  speak  so  liglitlj  of  the  sacraments 
— and  Padre  Salvini  says  marriage  is  the 
holiest  of  them  all." 

The  callous  man  stand  in  2:  there  felt 
his  hideous  designs  rebound  upon  him- 
self with  a  strange  sensation. 

"  Why  do  you  look  at  me  so,  Ed- 
uardo  ?  You  do  not  doubt  that  I  love 
you  ?  Ah,  dear  heart,  you  could  never 
do  that.  When  the  priest  gave  us  his 
blessing  in  the  dear  churcli,  I  felt  how 
happy,  how  very  happy  I  would  be  al- 
ways. I  sometimes  fear  my  great  love 
displeases  the  saints.  Sometimes  I  feel 
that  they  are  not  smiling  upon  me.  It 
is  so  strange  that  you  care  about  me, 
Eduardo  !  I  am  such  a  simple  girl,  and 
you — you  are  so  grand." 

He  was  silent.     He  dared  not  tell  her 

that  by  right  of  her  beauty  and  purity 

lie  was  compared  to  her  as  things  of 

darkness  to  the  brightest  of  God's  crea- 
5 


6G 


tions.  So  he  led  the  conversation  into 
other  channels,  spoke  of  the  haile  at  the 
Teatro  Juarez  on  Tuesday  evening,  a 
part  of  the  festivities  in  Paso  del  Norte; 
and  took  his  dejDartnre,  feeling  far  from 
satisfied  with  himself. 

He  cursed  himself  as  he  rode  along 
because  he  could  not  give  up  all  thought 
of  the  girl  he  left  standing  there  in  the 
September  sunlight !  But  the  trustful- 
ness of  the  nature  he  was  dealing  with 
was  incomprehensible  to  his  own.  A 
doubt  flaslied  over  him  that  perhaps 
her  apparent  innocence  was  only  a  wo- 
man's trick  of  affecting  to  believe — a 
bit  of  feminine  craft,  "  that,"  he  said  to 
himself,  with  spiteful  malignity,  "  they 
all  trade  upon  as  long  as  they  are  young 
and  good-looking,"  and  that  she  did  un- 
derstand !  He  was  morbidly  anxious  and 
uneasy  for  all  his  self-assurance,  and, 
not  unlike  the  gambling  husband  whose 


G7 


courtesies  to  Lis  wife  are  the  measure  of 
his  luck  at  phij,  the  discouraging  nature 
of  the  late  interview  made  him  sneer  at 
the  trustfulness  that  was  yet  so  difficult 
to  manipulate.  Well,  one  thing  was  cer- 
tain :  Pablo  Dorantes  would  hunt  him 
down  if  he  kept  up  this  thing.  Doran- 
tes might  even  now  be  making  "  inqui- 
ries." By  all  the  saints,  that  —  that 
would  not  do!  He  must  bring  things 
to  a  crisis  with  Jesusita,  and  leave  these 
parts. 

Jesusita  was  shrewd,  quick  -  witted, 
daring — just  the  wife  he  needed.  An 
ugly  smile  came  over  his  face  as  he 
thought  that  Jesusita's  scruples  about 
"  holy  sacraments  "  would  not  interfere 
with  his  plans ;  and  he  sealed  her  doom 
as  he  rode  along.  What  was  a  woman 
more  or  less?  Jesusita  was  desperate- 
ly in  love  wdth  his  precious  self.  He 
had  taken  care  tliat  she  should  be,  and 


68 


Paso  del  Norte  might  soon  be  on  tlie 
alert. 

Crossing  the  main  acequia  in  the 
centre  of  the  town,  Eduardo  turned  to 
the  right.  He  tied  his  horse  to  a  post, 
and  tapped  with  his  riding-whip  npon  a 
heavy,  closed  door,  flanked  on  either 
side  by  barred  windows  which  opened 
directly  on  the  street.  Jesusita  did  not 
keep  him  Avaiting  long.  She  came  has- 
tily towards  him  in  the  half-liglit  that 
filtered  through  tlie  narrow,  deep -set 
windows. 

Jesusita  Barassa  w^as  as  good-looking 
as  the  average  girl  in  her  set.  She  did 
not  lack  for  attention  at  the  frequent 
hailes^  and  was,  besides,  blessed  w^ith  a 
good  intellect  and  attractiveness  much 
above  the  average.  She  greeted  Lerma 
enthusiastically,  and  smiled  and  chatted 
in  a  happy,  abandoned  fashion  that 
might  w^ell  justify  that   gentleman   in 


69 


liis  feelings  of  security  about  her  regard 
for  himself. 

"  I  thought  you  must  be  at  the  plaza 
hearing  the  orations  tliis  morning,"  she 
said.  "  We  are  all  going  over  to  El 
Paso  this  afternoon,  after  the  concert. 
I  expected  we  might  come  upon  you 
there  ;  we  can  return  in  time  for  the 
fireworks,"  and  she  smiled  point- 
edly. 

"  No,"  he  answered,  "  I  have  been 
down  in  the  country  this  morning ;" 
and  up  came  another  comparison — the 
lovely-tinted  cream  face  and  wonderful 
hazel  eyes  of  'Cension. 

"  Why  not  join  us,  then  ?" 

"  Perhaps  I  may,  certainly  I  shall  if 
you  wish  it,"  and  Jesusita  was  pleased 
at  his  evident  submission  to  her  sway. 
The  male  heart  is  a  tough  piece  of 
anatomy,  and  requires  a  good  deal  of 
manipulation    to  make   it   manageable. 


But  every  woman  thinks  it  easily  done, 
in  the  halcyon  days  of  love. 

"  Will  we  not  do  anything  for  one  wo 
love  ?"  he  questioned,  looking  steadily 
into  her  eyes.  His  was  not  a  young 
face,  not  a  face  to  be  trusted,  unless 
Dame  Nature  had  erred  grievously  in  the 
markings  there.  He  must  have  counted 
at  least  thirty-eight  birthdays,  but  this 
girl's  eyes  fell  before  his  as  she  thought 
how  handsome,  how  delightful  he  was. 

She  answered  without  looking  up, 
"  Yes,  anything,  if  one  love  truly." 

"  Would  you  go — anywhere  that  he 
should  wish,  Jesusita,  with  the  man  you 
loved  ?"  he  asked,  after  a  moment's 
pause. 

^'  To  the  ends  of  the  earth — with  him," 
and  there  was  a  very  conscious  look  on 
her  face  as  she  said  it. 

"  But  if  he  had  enemies,  and  they 
told  you  dreadful  things  of  him,  even 


71 


if  you  felt  yourself  tliat  he  was  a  weak 
fellow,"  and  lie  drew  nearer  to  her  and 
looked  intently  into  her  face. 

She  seemed  almost  nervous  as  she  an- 
swered, quickly : 

"  But,  Eduardo,  there  is  —  there  is 
nothing  that  I  could  fear  that  they 
could  tell  me  of  you,  unless  it  was  that 
you  did  not  love  me,"  she  said,  discard- 
ing his  half -mysterious  pronouns.  "I 
fear  nothing,  while  you  love  me.  As 
for  your  acts  —  while  I  might  grieve 
over  your  faults,"  and  a  troubled  look 
passed  over  her  face,  "I  could  not  de- 
sert you.  ISTo,  Eduardo,  it  is  done.  I 
love  you  now ;  all  the  rest  cannot  much 
matter."  She  put  both  hands  out  to 
him,  and  sudden  tears  filled  her  eyes. 

Xeither  dared  put  into  words  this 
something  of  which  he  was  guilty  and 
she  cof^nizant.  He  was  uncertain  as  to 
''how  much  she  knew,"  but  very  cer- 


72 


tain  now  that  it  would  not  separate  her 
from  him — if  lie  chose  to  take  lier  ! 

'Why  did  he  determine  to  sacrifice 
this  girl  ?  He  evidently  did  not  love 
her  with  the  mad  passion  which  filled 
him  for  'Cension's  beauty.  She  adored 
him,  perhaps  that  was  reason  enough. 

Jesusita  was  not  over -scrupulous  or 
burdened  with  an  undue  share  of  re- 
spect for  the  mother-church,  as  Eduardo 
very  justly  argued.  But  she  was  far 
from  being  a  bad  woman.  She  was 
simply  a  self-willed,  passionate  woman, 
like  half  of  her  sex,  who  if  meeting  no 
great  temptation  will  go  to  their  graves 
harmless,  almost  sinless  women.  When 
a  stumbling-block  rises  in  their  path- 
way they  know  not  how  to  brook  the 
obstacle,  and  in  a  reckless  moment  dare 
to  leap  —  and  fall.  Jesusita — she  was 
only  twenty — would  have  been  more 
shocked  than  innocent  'Cension,  if  she 


7B 


had  understood,  at  a  proposition  made  to 
her  like  that  made  to  'Cension  that  morn- 
ing. She  would  have  understood  its 
meaning,  and  shrunk  from  its  conse- 
quences. Clinging  to  him  even  when 
she  knew  him  to  be  guilty  of  crime,  she 
would  yet  be  as  far  from  yielding  to  sin 
as  'Cension.  The  one's  knowledge  on 
the  one  side  was  perhaps  as  great  a  safe- 
guard as  the  other's  innocence. 

As  the  prearranged  party  boarded  the 
horse -cars  for  El  Paso  that  afternoon 
Lerma  did  not  feel  more  comfortable 
for  seeing  Pablo  Dorantes  come  out  of 
Senor  Herara's  oiSce ;  for  that  gentle- 
man believed,  with  the  alcalde^  that  oth- 
ers besides  the  two  convicted  post-office 
officials  had  had  a  hand  in  those  recent 
robberies.  He  had  furthermore  boldly 
declared  his  determination  to  ferret  the 
culprits  out. 

Lerma  felt  a  stronger  admonisher  of 


the  morning  whispering  him  that  delays 
might  be  dangerous.  He  devoted  liim- 
self  more  assiduously  to  Jesusita  than 
ever  before,  and  left  her  at  home  that 
night  with  a  heart  beating  high  with 
hope  and  love. 

What  need  to  trouble  one's  self  with 
the  eternal  possibilities  ?  One  can  take 
the  world  with  its  comjDany  clothes  on, 
and  need  never  see  it  in  dishahille.  Life 
has  two  sides,  and  one  must  contrive  to 
spin  the  coin  so  that  the  face  of  the 
metal  will  come  uppermost.  Such  was 
Jesusita's  creed,  and  she  was  one  who 
might  have  skill  in  the  spinning,  but 
she  underestimated  the  importance  of 
"heads  or  tails"  in  the  result.  She 
looked  no  further  than  the  hour's  fulfil- 
ment, and  when  the  obstacle  would  arise 
in  her  pathway  she  would  leap  —  with 
the  usual  result.  Nature  produces  both 
the  deadly  night -shade  and  the  succu- 


lent  berry,  and  leaves  for  us  to  choose 
whether  we  will  seek  our  nutriment  in 
the  tangled  wild  growth  or  in  the  sunny 
meadows. 


IV 

At  ten  o'clock  that  night  Eduardo 
Lerma  tapped  mysteriously  at  a  little 
board  door  in  one  of  those  lialf-honses, 
half-dugouts  built  under  the  hill-side  be- 
yond the  church.  He  was  admitted  by 
a  red -eyed,  ancient  specimen  of  man- 
kind, who  mumbled  a  few  words,  lifted 
a  blanket  partition  disclosing  another 
room,  and  motioned  the  visitor  to  enter. 
Lerma  stooped  his  broad  shoulders  and 
disappeared,  the  soiled  hanging  falling 
again  into  place. 

The  sound  of  voices  within  kept  up 
a  continuous  murmur  that  the  misera- 
ble old  creature  in  the  front  did  not 
seem  to  notice.  With  his  deformed 
back   for  capital,  he  had  all  day,  like 


7Y 


"  Bartlmeus  by  the  way-side,  begged  his 
bread  disconsolate" — and  tliree  tortillas 
had  been  his  collection.  What  bread  is 
to  us,  rice  to  the  Chinaman,  poi  to  the 
Hawaiian,  tortilla  is  to  the  Mexican  ; 
and  this  wretched  semblance  of  a  hu- 
man creature  expected  nothing  more  of 
the  world  he  lived  in  than  a  few  of 
these  leathery  life-sustainers. 

''  There  is  nothing  new  ?"  Lerma  was 
asking. 

"Nothing,  senor,"  answered  the  heavy- 
set,  heavy-jawed  man  across  the  plank 
table.  "  There  is  no  reason  to  feel  un- 
easy. How  could  your  seilorita  have 
learned  of  your  part  in  the  job  ?" 

"Don't  speak  so  loud,"  commanded 
Lerma,  looking  nervously  around,  "e/^- 
sucristo  only  knows,  but  she  does.  Eat 
I  have  no  fear  from  that  quarter,"  he 
went  on,  as  he  drummed  softly  on  the 
table. 


There  was  a  wicked  look  of  liate  on 
the  other's  heavy  face  as  he  watched 
his  complacent  accomplice. 

"  She  may  sqneal ;  may  put  it  down 
your  thievish  throat  in  a  way  you  won't 
like,"  he  blurted  out,  scowling  at  the 
other. 

*'  The  only  thing  that  beats  your  cour- 
age is  your  candor,"  answered  Lerma, 
with  a  dark  look.  "Don't  mention  her 
again,"  he  added,  darkly,  "but  tell  me 
what  Fleury  said  when  you  got  into  his 
cell." 

"  He  said  you  need  not  be  afraid,  that 
he  wouldn't '  wink.'  That  he  felt  almost 
relieved  now  that  they  had  caught  him 
again,  and  that  he  had  been  a  fool  to 
escape." 

"  Fool !  He  was  a  bigger  fool  to  go 
to  Chuviscar,  where  Garvaldon  had  such 
a  good  chance  to  take  them,"  comment- 
ed Lerma. 


79 


"  Secretary  Rojas  told  tliem  that  sen- 
tence would  not  be  passed  before  next 
month." 

"  Well,  I'll  take  care  not  to  be  here," 
chuckled  Lerma,  "  for  the  poor  devils 
will  find  it  hard  not  to  have  me  scooped 
in,  too." 

''He  said  to-day  that  if  you  hadn't 
sent  me  to  la  tienda  Londres  with  that 
last  haul  of  diamonds  he  gave  you,  and 
told  that  gag  about  their  having  been 
sent  from  Guadalajara,  they  would  not 
have  suspected  him  yet." 

"  He  lies  1"  exclaimed  Lerma,  excited- 
ly. "  It  would  have  come  all  right  if  he 
hadn't  hidden  those  stones  in  his  room, 
where  he  was  idiot  enough  to  keep  them 
against  my  advice.  He  deserves  the  fif- 
teen years  he'll  get  for  being  such  a  fool 
as  to  let  them  find  them  there." 

"  He  may  not  be  fool  enough  to  take 
the  fifteen  years  by  himself,  when  oth- 


80 


ers  could  so  easily  be  made  to  go  with 
liim,"  said  Lerma's  companion,  glaring 
across  the  dirty  table. 

"  Look  here,  Eleno  Telles,"  cried 
Lerma,  getting  to  his  feet,  "  for  a  man 
who  kills  helpless  widows  and  knows 
another  holds  the  guilty  knife,  you  pre- 
sume on  that  other's  goodness  when 
you  talk  to  him  like  this.  I'll  give 
that  bloody  knife  to  Senora  Maese's 
counsel,  and — "  snapping  his  fingers 
contemptuously — "you'll  be  shot." 

"  Sit  down,  ray  fine  friend.  I  don't 
think  you  will  trot  out  that  knife.  We 
have  even  scores." 

Lerma  sank  back  into  his  chair.  How 
he  w^ould  like  to  throttle  this  fellow ! 
I^ot  only  for  his  complicity,  but  from 
pure  malice.  The  world  has  scores  of  un- 
principled fellows  who,  when  their  own 
ends  are  gained,  are  tolerably  indiffer- 
ent about  the  rest  of  humanity.     They 


81 


even  at  times  liave  their  little  moods  of 
generosity,  when  they  will  help  a  fel- 
low-blackguard or  a  beggar,  and  actual- 
ly seem  good-natured  and  kind  after  a 
fashion;  but  Lerma,  "swimming  for  his 
life,  would  like  to  crack  the  fellow  fa- 
tally on  the  head  that  swam  alongside 
of  him."  Feeling  the  practised  skill 
that  intercourse  w-ith  crime  confers,  he 
hated  sharing  either  craft  or  spoils. 
Such  fellows  almost  destroy  the  long- 
treasured  belief  that  there  is  no  heart  so 
depraved  that  it  has  no  redeeming  trait. 
A  shrewd  observer  says,  when  one  car- 
ries a  load  with  another  man  it  is  not 
always  easy  to  believe  that  the  other 
"totes  fair."  If  he  shows  signs  of  wear- 
iness or  exhaustion,  we  inveigh  against 
him  as  good-for-nothing;  if  he  stejDS 
along  jauntily  and  briskly,  wdiile  we  feel 
done  np,  we  are  convinced  that  he  is 
shirking  or  cheating.     A  divided  guilt 

6 


82 


is  a  liarder  burden  to  carry  together  in 
faith  than  any  other. 

Later,  when  Lerraa  came  out  of  the  in- 
ner room,  he  looked  scornfully  at  the  old 
watcher  dozing  on  his  liaunches  by  the 
door,  and,  touching  him  with  his  foot, 
said,  sarcastically, "  Wake  up,  my  prince, 
and  open  the  door;"  and  as  he  struggled 
to  his  feet  he  threw  two  tlacos  on  the 
dirt  floor,  saying,  gruffly,  "  There's  for 
your  toHillas^^  and  stepped  out  impa- 
tiently as  the  poor  creature  commenced 
mumbling  extravagant  thanks. 

As  he  passed  the  barred  windows  of 
the  post-office  he  glanced  in,  and  snapped 
his  fingers  airily  at  the  dim  light  within. 
"When  the  cute  ones  w^ere  on  the  in- 
side, bars  did  not  much  matter,"  he  so- 
liloquized, smiling  a  smile  that  neither 
'Cension  nor  Jesusita  had  ever  seen  on 
the  handsome  face. 

He  fell  to  wondering  how  the  latter 


83 


liad  ever  discovered  his  light  -  fingered 
ocenpation.  Shrewd  as  was  this  man's 
reckoning,  he  could  not  know  that  Je- 
susita  had  suspected,  surmised,  had  put 
two  and  two  together,  and  by  a  wom- 
an's innuendoes  gathered  the  truth  for 
herself  from  his  own  lips  and  manner. 
But  if  he  thought  she  knew  anything 
of  his  life  before  he  came  to  Paso 
del  Norte,  of  any  other  but  this  one 
transaction,  he  was  mistaken.  She  knew 
nothins:.     How  should  she? 

Perhaps  if  she  had,  she  might  have 
done  differently.  AVho  knows  ?  Wom- 
en are  queer  creatures,  and  sometimes 
seem  willing  to  give  up,  even  do  give 
up,  all  that  they  are  supposed  to  hold 
dearest  and  best  on  what  seems  to  the 
unbiassed  observer  to  be  the  smallest 
provocation.  Scores  of  women,  we  note 
with  sorrow,  seem  to  like  publicity, 
and  prefer   notoriety  for  scandal  rath- 


84 


er  than   be   only  unnoticed    models  of 
virtue. 

Perhaps  even  jealousy  of  'Cension 
might  have  given  the  one  straw's  weight 
necessary  to  have  decided  Jesusita's  fate ; 
but  she  did  not  know  that  Eduardo  knew 
the  girl,  ^o,  it  was  not  jealous  rage,  or 
a  thorough  understanding  of  the  object's 
worthlessness,  which  actually  does  seem 
to  influence  some  unhappy  specimens  of 
women,  ^or  yet  was  it  a  w^oman's  un- 
seemly yearning  after  the  forbidden  or 
sin -cursed  that  influenced  this  girl  in 
the  final  test.  It  was  what  she  believed 
to  be  her  heart's  love  pure  and  simple ; 
and  nothing  more  wricked  was  in  her 
heart  than  a  woman's  unwillingness  to 
see  the  unworthy  in  her  heart's  desire. 


As  tlie  day  drew  nearer  for  the  ball 
Eduardo  Iiad  told  her  of,  the  desire  grew 
stronger  and  stronger  in 'Cension's  heart 
to  go  herself,  seen  or  unseen,  and  get  a 
view  of  this  other  world  of  his.  She 
had  never  attended  a  ball  in  all  her 
short  life,  and  as  yet  she  had  formed 
no  definite  idea  of  how  she  was  to  get 
there;  bnt  the  determination  to  see  it 
for  herself  became  a  fixed  resolve  by  tlie 
morning  of  the  eventful  day. 

She  would  ask  Pablo.  With  beating 
heart  she  went  into  the  jyath  where  her 
brother,  with  Placido  and  the  two  boys, 
was  arranging  to  hang  the  long  strings 
of  peppers,  garlics,  grapes,  and  pumpkin 
strips  for  the  winter,  while  bushels  of 


86 


silver -skinned  maniiiiotli  onions  were 
heaped  against  the  wall  ready  for  stor- 
ing. 'Cension  hesitated  when  she  saw 
tlie  others  there,  and  stood  looking  at 
Pablo  doubtfully.  He  had  lifted  a  string 
of  grapes  and  stood  sadly  gazing  across 
the  fields  at  the  half-finished  walls  of  his 
home,  and  as  he  gazed  his  face  settled 
into  that  look  of  hopeless  regret  it  so 
often  wore  in  these  latter  months.  Her 
gentle  heart  smote  her  for  her  selfish  for- 
getfulness  of  his  sorrow. 

Ask  Pablo  to  go  to  a  ball!  Never. 
How  could  she  have  been  so  heartless  ? 
And  she  went  to  his  side,  and  put  her 
hand  gently,  caressingly,  on  his  shoul- 
der, in  sweet  contrition  for  the  unkind 
thoughtlessness  which  she  felt  had  been 
in  her  mind. 

"  Let  me  help,  too,  Pablo,"  she  j)lead- 
ed.  "  I  can  tie  and  string  very  fast — in- 
deed I  can  ;  just  try  me,"  she  said,  smil- 


87 


ing.  "And  Placido,  you  needn't  look 
so  doubtful.  Did  I  not  help  you  weave 
a  chair  once  ?" 

And  Placido,  remembering,  screwed 
up  a  very  tight  facial  contortion,  which 
passed  for  a  smile,  and  said,  very  slowl}", 
"  Si,  sefiorita,  you  did  undo  'most  as  fast 
as  I  could  weave."  And  the  two  boys 
pranced  wildly  around  and  enjoyed  the 
stupendous  joke,  very  much  like  a  pair 
of  American  younger  brothers  indeed. 

Pablo  smiled,  too,  and  it  brought  a 
beautiful  sparkle  to  his  deep  -  brown 
eyes,  showed  his  perfect  teetli,  and 
chane^ed  his  face  like  mastic.  If  one 
thought  him  handsome  before,  these 
rare  smiles  made  his  face  simply  irresist- 
ible, and  markedly  like  'Cension's  own. 

"  Pm  afraid  there's  not  much  you  can 
do,  herma?iita,  but  you  may  hold  this 
cord  and  help  me  with  this  lot,  if  you 
would  like." 


They  all  worked  away,  and  'Cension, 
still  contrite,  chatted  and  smiled  briorht- 
ly  at  Pablo,  hoping  in  her  loving  heart 
that  he  found  comfort  in  her  presence. 
And  he  did.  Possessing  generous,  beau- 
tiful natures,  they  were  deeply  attached 
to  each  other,  and  their  love  had  known 
nothing  of  those  jealousies  and  misun- 
derstandings too  common  in  the  elder 
members  of  families.  'Cension  was  nev- 
er in  his  way,  nothing  where  she  was 
concerned  was  ever  a  trouble  to  him, 
and  she,  full  of  pride  in  this  handsome, 
unselfish  big  brother,  loved  nothing  bet- 
ter than  his  companionship.  As  for  the 
topic  of  Lerma,  just  now  Pablo  saw  noth- 
ing to  be  gained  by  filling  his  sister's 
mind  with  all  manner  of  misgivings 
and  unhappiness  concerning  the  man 
she  loved  without  being  able  then  and 
there  to  say,  "  Give  him  up  at  once  and 
forever."     And  he  was  not  quite  ready 


89 


to  sustain  liis  position  should  the  fellow 
defy  liira.     He  did  not  doubt  that  when 
that   time  came,  'Cension   would  obey 
him  without  a  word.     He  anxiously  ad- 
mitted that  the  unmasking  would  be  a 
blow,  a  heavy  one,  to  her  trusting  heart, 
but  he  comforted  himself  by  thinking 
how  very  young  she  was,  and  that  she 
would  soon  forget  it.      Pablo  had,  for 
reasons  of  his  own,  determined  to  go  to 
the  interior  of  the  Republic  during  the 
following  w^eek,  and  he  felt  absolutely 
certain  that  when  he  returned  he  would 
be  well  armed  to  approach  Seiior  Lerma. 
The  bright  September  sunlight  shone 
warmly  down  upon  the  ^j'a^/6>  and  the 
workers  there.     Pal^lo's  large  fawn-col- 
ored mastiff,  Bon i to,  that  followed  'Cen- 
sion's  every  step,  had  stretched  himself 
languidly  in  the  sun,  and  would  have 
been  in  Elysium  but  for  two  bees.   Heavy 
from  an  apiciau  feast  of  drying  apples. 


00 


they  seemed  to  be  in  the  world  for  no 
other  object  than  tlie  tantalizing  of  liis 
sleepy  dogship. 

"  Bonito,  you  are  no  huenoP''  cried  the 
smaller  of  the  shock -headed  brothers. 
*' AVhy  don't  you  gobble  up  them  bees?" 

"  Bonito,  perhaps,  has  tried  eating 
bees  before,  and  does  not  like  the  diet," 
laughed  Pablo ;  and  the  big  dog  raised 
Ills  eyes  lazily  to  his  face,  and  thumped 
his  tail  in  two  approving  raps  on  the 
hard  mud  court. 

''  Oh,  Bonito,  you  do  so  seem  to  know 
everything  one  says,"  said  'Cension. 
"  Don't  you  really  think,  Pablo,"  she 
went  on,  tying  a  double  knot  in  her 
twine,  "that  animals, especially  dogs  and 
horses,  get  to  know  a  person  who  loves 
them  so  well  that  they  understand  what 
he  says?"  And  Bonito  again  rapped 
his  acquiescence  a  la  table-rapping  ayes. 

Pulling  Pablo's  sleeve  to  attract  his 


91 


attention  to  tlie  dog,  slie  said,  in  an  ex- 
cited voice,  "  Why,  Pablo,  those  must  be 
goats  over  tliere  in  the  vineyard !" 

Lazy  Bonito  Avas  np  and  off  like  a 
shot,  rushing  througli  the  opening  at 
the  end  of  the  corral.  'Cension  clapped 
lier  hands  and  laughed  sweet  peals  of 
lauo^hter,  which  still  rano;  out  as  Bonito 
walked  quietly  back  to  his  place  after 
having  inspected  the  vineyard  from  a 
heap  of  adobes  beyond  ;  wdiether  or  no 
he  knew  that  he  had  been  duped  was 
kept  carefully  to  himself  in  dogged  si- 
lence. 

^'  I  do  believe,  you  dear  2^^^^o,  that 
you  are  disgusted  with  me  for  that 
mean  trick,"  said  'Cension,  stooj)ing  and 
patting  his  square  head.  "  It  was  mean, 
Bonito,  old  fellow,"  she  said,  again,  as 
she  doubled  another  twine  for  Pablo. 

"  Of  course  dogs  knows  everything," 
exclaimed  Placido,  in  a  very  determined 


92 


voice,  as  if  defending  the  question  in 
a  close  argument.  "Didn't  lie  bring 
that  little  kid,  jpohrec'da^  straight  to  the 
seilora  when  he  found  it  with  its  leg 
broke  under  that  torniUo  bush  ?"  Bo- 
nito  only  deigned  to  notice  this  last  ref- 
erence by  one  flabby  tap,  and  kept  on 
dozing  with  one  eye,  while  he  kept  the 
other  sharply  upon  the  more  aggressive 
bee. 

"I  say,  'Cension,  I  heard  Eduardo 
Lerma  telling  you  about  the  hails  to- 
night ;  why  don't  you  ever  go  to  hailes, 
like  Guadalupe?  You  could  wear  that 
pretty  pink  dress,  and  put  white  stuff 
on  your  face,  like  Guadalupe  does;"  and 
the  small  brother  looked  inquiringly 
into  his  sister's  face  as  he  delivered  this 
shrewd  half-question,  half-advice. 

"Would  you  really  care  to  go  to  balls, 
'Cension  ?"  asked  Pablo,  kindlj^,  turning 
his  glance  to  the  work  in  hand. 


93 


Poor  sensitive  'Cension  felt  an  over- 
wlielming  fear  that  Pablo  understood 
her  intention  of  an  hour  before,  and 
meant  to  sacrifice  himself  to  her  selfish- 
ness, and  she  answered,  hurriedly  and 
nervously,  "  Dear  Pablo,  it  does  not  in 
the  least  matter.  I  do  not  even  know 
what  a  ball  is  like." 

Balls  in  general  did  not  much  matter, 
truly,  but  this  particular  ball — that  mat- 
tered very  much  indeed. 

Presently  she  entered  the  house  feel- 
ing miserable,  anxious,  unhappy,  for  the 
consuming  desire  to  go  to  this  ball  could 
not  be  overcome.  The  lonn^ino;  was  still 
unshaken. 

When  the  family  party  gathered  under 
the  arches  around  the  patio  in  the  moon- 
light, 'Cension  sat  near  her  father  and 
absently  watched  the  shadows  from  the 
trees  outside.  She  did  not  hear  a  word 
of  the  mixed  conversation  going  on,  and 


94 


was  brought  sharply  to  herself  by  a 
quick  sound  that  startled  lier.  It  was 
only  Ricardo  who,  in  telling  them  of 
the  dreadful  results  sure  to  follow  in 
consequence  of  the  Americans  opening 
canals  from  their  dividing  Rio  Grande, 
had  nailed  his  argument  with  his  fist  to 
the  broad  arm  of  liis  bench. 

"  I  wonder  if  it  is  time  for  them 
to  gather  in  the  ballroom,"  she  thought. 
"  I  wonder  if  Eduardo  is  already  there," 
and  her  hands  clasped  and  unclasped 
themselves  nervously  as  she  pictured  it 
all.  A  sudden  thought  rushed  into  her 
mind.  Why  should  she  not  go  alone 
to  Paso  del  K'orte  ?  She  could  ride 
gentle  Prieto;  no,  Placido,  and  then  all 
the  rest  would  know.  She  would  not 
be  permitted  to  go.  She  would  walk ! 
Young  and  strong  of  limb,  the  inter- 
vening miles  were  nothing  to  her,  and 
there  was   nothing   to  fear.      Slipping 


95 


quietly  away  unnoticed,  she  went  to 
her  own  room,  which  Anita  shared,  and 
stood  before  the  pink  vestido  of  Yno- 
cente's  mention  that  liiing  on  the  walL 

The  little  sister  breathed  regular,  rest- 
ful -  slumber  breaths,  and  everything 
seemed  to  'Cension's  excited  fancy  to 
be  painfully  still.  She  took  the  dress 
down  in  slow  indecision.  AVhat  need 
to  put  it  on  ?  She  would  not  go,  and, 
besides,  if  she  did,  she  would  go  un- 
seen, so  what  need  to  change  her  dress  ? 
But  fearing  that  Lerma  might  see  her, 
with  a  w^oman's  instinctive  second  nat- 
ure of  wanting  to  appear  well  in  the 
eyes  of  the  man  she  loves,  she  held  it 
thoughtfully  in  her  hands.  The  next 
moment  determination  came  to  her. 
She  hurriedly  unbuttoned  the  striped 
indiana  she  had  worn  all  day,  and 
with  shaking  hands  arrayed  herself 
in  the  unpretentious  pink  frock  —  her 


OG 


best.  With  a  liurried  glance  into  tlio 
small  mirror  lianging  on  the  Avail,  slie 
canglit  up  her  black  shawl  and  disap- 
peared through  a  door  to  tlie  left. 

She  came  out  at  the  extreme  end  of 
the  row  of  rooms  at  the  back,  and,  en- 
tering the  alfalfa  field,  walked  quickly 
towards  the  point  where  the  hedge 
marked  the  lane's  joining  with  the  pub- 
lic road.  She  hesitated  a  moment,  and 
looked  nervously  up  and  down  the  road 
before  comino^  out  into  the  bri^^ht  moon- 
light.  The  sound  of  Nature's  respira- 
tions was  all  around.  The  branches 
swayed  softly,  and  the  intermittent  gusts 
of  air  that  were  warmly  caressing  some- 
how seemed  suggestive  of  a  vague  com- 
panionship and  sympath}^  as  they  rus- 
tled past,  leaving  "  the  j^endent  leaves 
nodding  understandingly."  Moonlight 
in  this  latitude  and  this  altitude  means 
something  more  than  a  pale,  sickly  glim- 


97 


mer  wliicli  makes  dim  pliantoms  of  ev- 
ery-day  harmless  things.  It  pours  a 
flood  of  brightness  below  tliat  marks 
every  outline  and  curve  in  clear  -  cut 
precision,  lacquers  every  leaf  and  twig 
in  cleanest  finish  beneath.  To-nio:ht 
there  was  not  a  cloud.  The  majestic 
canopy,  "with  God's  name  writ  on  it 
in  worlds,"  was  an  expanse  of  subdued 
perfect  blue.  The  faint,  far-away  bark 
of  a  dog  traversed  the  silence,  and  the 
somnolent  hills  looked  strangely  distinct 
to  her  throuojh  the  semilucent  nio^ht  haze. 
Should  she  go  on  ?  But  why  not  ?  It 
could  not  be  wrong,  and  she  was  not 
afraid  of  the  night. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  rushing  sound 
in  the  alfalfa  field  at  her  back.  She 
dared  not  look  around.  It  must  be 
they  had  missed  her  already,  and  some 
one  was  runnino^  throuo^h  the  field  to 
intercept   her.     She   stood   quite   still. 


98 


awaiting  tlie  result  in  deep  agitation, 
not  so  much  from  dread  of  detection  as 
fear  of  disappointment. 

The  pursuer  came  close  up  to  her  as 
if  undecided,  then  she  felt  a  cold  nose 
thrust  into  her  palm. 

"6^  la  luena  fortuna  !  It  is  only  Bo- 
nito.  Dear  Bonito,  I  should  have  known, 
and  taken  you  into  my  confidence,"  she 
whispered,  laying  her  hand  on  his  great 
head. 

She  did  not  hesitate  now,  but  walked 
firmly  along  on  the  scant  brown  grass  by 
the  dusty  road,  and  the  big  dog  walked 
knowingly  by  her  side.  Her  eyes  were 
often  raised  to  the  blue  immensity  above, 
and  she  occasionally  spoke  to  her  com- 
panion. There  was  a  look  of  sweetest 
innocence  on  the  oft-uplifted  face,  de- 
spite the  deliberate  errand  of  the  way- 
ward feet.  She  had  no  thought  of  fear, 
and  though  her  pulses  quickened  slight- 


99 


]y  once  or  twice  at  an  undefined  shad- 
ow or  movement  by  the  way,  she  went 
bravely  ahead.  There  was  a  resonance 
in  the  dead  silence  about  her,  "the  hym- 
nal service  of  whispering  leaf  and  listen- 
ing grass  spear,"  that  elated  her.  Her 
way  lay  along  the  brownest,  homeliest 
common,  but  the  moon  made  of  it  a 
splendid  highw^ay.  She  w\as  conscious 
of  no  fatigue  after  travelling  the  long 
miles  between,  when  she  found  herself 
near  the  goal — the  brightly  lighted  Te- 
atro  Juarez,  where  the  beaux  and  junta 
jpatriotica  of  Paso  del  ISTorte  hold  their 
carnivals.  It  is  a  most  unpretentious, 
ugly  structure;  bat  the  long  wooden 
building,  with  unceiled  interior,  small 
windows,  and  two  very  scraggy  trees 
by  the  door,  was  a  vision  of  beauty  to 
'Cension.  The  rough  walls  were  hid- 
den by  white  cloth,  enlivened  with  flags 
and  bright  -  colored  buntings  ;   the  ele- 


100 


vatcd  stao-e  at  the  end  where  the  musi- 
cians  sat  was  also  draped  with  flags  of 
the  United  States  and  Mexico, and  a  car- 
pet and  canvas  covered  the  floor  for  the 
dancers.  The  ball  was  at  its  height,  and 
'Cension  felt  absolutely  unhappy  and 
solitary  as  she  drew  nearer  the  door 
and  looked  within.  Iler  sensitive  color 
came  and  went  as  she  felt  lialf  sorry 
that  she  had  dared  so  much ;  and  she 
stood  tremblingly  hesitating  what  to  do 
next. 

There  was  the  usual  rabble  around 
the  entrance.  Seiiores  Seijas,  Najera, 
Montes,  Castillo,  and  Blanco — the  recep- 
tion committee — only  gave  it  a  very  di- 
vided attention  now.  A  number  of  half- 
grown  boys  jostled  and  crowded  each 
other  roughly  ou  the  steps,  and  one  gave 
Bonito  a  dreadful  kick,  and  insolently 
asked,  "  What  is  that  great  brute  doing 
here  T      Bonito  was  not   to  be  driven 


101 


from  Ills  charge,  and,  though  'Cension's 
eyes  flashed  indignantly,  she  dared  not 
speak,  and  only  laid  her  hand  protect- 
ingly  on  her  companion's  head. 

AVliere  was  Eduardo  ?  She  forgot  the 
rude  youths  and  everything  else  as  she 
watched  the  moving  mass  intently  for 
the  familiar  figure.  An  old  man  in 
shabby  breeches  and  serccpe,  just  inside 
the  door,  touched  her  shoulder  and  said, 
^''Pdse  y,  seiiorita,-^  and  motioned  to  a 
vacant  chair  against  the  wall.  There 
were  so  many  figures  blocking  up  the 
entrance  that  she  could  see  nothing 
clearly,  and  she  realized  with  an  aching 
thrill  of  her  limbs  that  she  was,  after 
all,  very  tired  ;  so  she  slipped  quietly 
into  the  chair  with  a  grateful  nod  at  the 
thoughtful  old  man. 

She  could  see  much  better  now.  Her 
eyes  were  fixed  in  fascination  upon  a 
pretty  blonde  from  El  Paso,  gowned  in 


102 


a  lovely  blue  crepe, when  she  sawLerina 
pass,  walking  down  the  room. 

He  was  there,  then  !  She  was  so  glad 
slie  had  come.  She  was  beginning  to 
feel  a  happy  enjoyment  of  it  all  diffuse 
itself  through  her  whole  being.  A  kind 
of  unreal  sensation  possessed  her;  she 
felt  intoxicated  with  the  lights  and  music 
and  the  pretty  dresses  in  a  whirl  of  ka- 
leidoscopic brightness.  She  lost  Lerma's 
figure  immediately,  but  what  matter  ? 
He  was  here  and  she  was  here,  and  she 
could  have  laughed  joyously  aloud  in  the 
thought  that  she  had  so  nearly  given  up 
this  great  happiness. 

"  Oh,  Bonito,  just  think,  if  we  hadn't 
come  !"  And  she  bowed  her  head  a 
moment  over  the  big  ears  of  the  sedate 
guardian  sitting  against  her  chair.  Bo- 
nito looked  every  inch  his  importance 
at  having  brought  his  mistress  to  such 
a  fine  place,  though  to  his  canine  judg- 


103 


ment  it  all  looked  very  senseless  and 
liardlj  worth  that  long,  dnsty  walk. 

The  figures  moved  off  into  the  danza, 
and  as  the  instruments  struck  up  the 
swinging  little  jerky  measures,  she  saw 
Lerma  dancing  with  Guadalupe  Gon- 
zales. Yes,  Ynocente  was  right ;  there 
was  a  goodly  supply  of  "white  stuff" 
on  her  slightly  pock-marked  face ;  but 
with  pink  cloth  flowers  in  her  hair,  and 
tacked  in  aimless  distribution  about  her 
blue  gown,  she  was  looking  well  satisfied 
and  happy. 

'•  Oh,  Guadalupe,  if  you  only  knew  I 
was  sitting  here  watching  you,  what 
would  you  think  ?"  And  'Cension  smiled 
in  imagination  of  her  neighbor's  surprise 
and  the  great  fun  she  was  having  all  to 
herself. 

She  watched  the  figures  as  the  dance 
proceeded,  and  smiled  as  the  couples  of 
Americans  dropped  out  one  by  one,  un- 


104 


able  to  do  tlie  monotonous  swaying  of 
forward  and  back  while  the  man's  arm 
encircled  the  woman's  waist.  The  seno- 
ritas'  gowns  of  pink,  blue,  green,  red, 
and  yellow,  much  trimmed  in  cloth 
flowers,  inexpensive  lace,  and  colored 
buttons,  were  ideal  gowms  to  'Cension's 
uninitiated  eyes,  and  she  felt  as  if  she 
could  stay  here  all  night,  and  wondered 
idly  what  the  hour  was. 

The  danza  over,  a  cuadrilla  was 
danced,  then  the  strains  of  "  Sobre  las 
Olas  "  filled  the  room.  The  Americans 
would  not  be  left  out  on  this  number, 
and  the  floor  was  soon  one  mad  rush 
of  whirling  couples  that  jostled,  and 
bumped,  and  collided  in  a  dreadful  w^ay. 
The  Mexican  pairs  turned  frantically  in 
their  dizzy  rounds  in  one  spot,  while 
the  Americans,  wdth  well-directed  glides 
and  reverses,  went  in  and  out  and 
through  the  spinning  pairs  with  won- 


105 


derful  skill  and  not  much  regard  for 
courtesy. 

'Cension's  attention  was  attracted  to 
the  hopeless  attempt  of  a  pretty  stran- 
ger to  stammer  her  excuses  to  a  well- 
oiled,  faultlessly-gotten-up  Mexican  be- 
fore her,  who  was  determined  to  have  a 
dance.  Her  escort  came  to  the  rescue, 
and  explained  to  the  bewildered  beauty 
that  etiquette  in  Mexico  did  not  re- 
quire an  introduction  to  give  a  man 
the  "  open  sesame  "  to  a  woman's  card 
of  dances.  She  was  thinking  the  pout- 
ing malcontent  very  pretty,  when  she 
noticed  that  couples  were  passing  through 
the  door  to  the  supper-tables,  spread  in 
the  adjoining  low-roofed  apartment. 

They  passed  very  near  lier.  And  then 
she  saw  Eduardo  coming  down  the  line 
with  Jesusita  Barassa  on  his  arm  !  She 
knew  it  was  Jesusita  by  instinct.  She 
was  arrayed  in   the  bright  blue  gown 


100 


she  had  spent  so  much  thought  upon  the 
foregoing  week,  amdpoor 'Cension  shrank 
back  in  her  seat,  a  sickening  fear  coming 
over  her  that  Lerma  might  recognize  her. 
She  felt  shabby,  ugly,  horrid,  for  the 
first  time  in  her  untroubled  life,  and  she 
could  hardly  resist  the  frantic  desire  to 
cover  her  face,  herself,  in  the  shawl  that 
still  remained  over  her  shoulders.  Oh, 
why  had  she  come !  She  should  cer- 
tainly die  if  her  beloved  raised  his  eyes 
and  saw  her  there  in  the  rabble,  so  like 
one  of  the  rabble  herself,  she  thought 
frantically.  Hot  tears  filled  her  eyes  and 
a  choking  feeling  came  into  her  throat. 
How  could  this  grand  man  care  for  a 
poor,  little,  ignorant,  dowdy  thing  like 
herself !  It  was  impossible ;  he  must  love 
that  splendid  creature  on  his  arm ;  and 
a  shadow  of  renunciation  touched  her, 
and  she  felt  half  mad  with  something, 
she  did  not  know  what. 


107 


"  Oh,  Bonito,  why  did  yon  not  tell 
me  not  to  come  here,  into  this  strange, 
beautiful  world  that  is  not  for  me  !" 
And  wise  Bonito  seemed  to  think  how 
useless  would  have  been  his  advice  as 
he  looked  in  quiet  amazement  at  the  un- 
happy change  that  had  come  over  his 
mistress. 

Several  women  near  her  rose  and 
started  out,  and  one  kindly  stopped  and 
asked  her  if  she  would  not  like  to  come 
and  see  the  supper-room.  She  got  up 
mechanically  and  followed  them,  glad  to 
move,  to  do  something.  She  looked  in 
upon  the  narrow  table  that  reached  the 
length  of  the  room.  The  men  stood 
behind  the  women's  chairs,  and  there 
was  much  popping  of  corks  and  clinking 
of  glasses.  Her  eyes  traversed  the  line 
of  upright  figures  and  stopped  about 
the  middle  of  the  left  row,  where 
Lerma  was  bending  towards  Jesusita's 


108 


shoulder   and   slie   was    smiling  up   at 
him. 

Agony  that  was  physical  pain  shot 
through  'Cension's  heart.  She  felt  as  if 
she  must  cry  aloud.  The  quick  breath 
made  the  woman  nearest  turn  and  look 
fixedly  at  her.  How  could  Ednardo  look 
at  his  companion  like  that  ?  Was  it  not 
the  same  look  that  always  made  her  heart 
beat  so  madly  ?  She  felt  wounded  unto 
death  ;  she  did  not  know  what  could  be 
the  matter  with  her.  She  would  go  home 
— she  never  could  enter  that  gay  room 
again ;  she  was  sick  at  heart,  and  it  had 
no  further  interest  for  her.  She  felt  no 
desire  to  torture  herself  with  the  sight  of 
the  two  before  her,  like  many  a  one  would 
have  felt,  and  see  it  through,  but,  like  the 
child  of  nature  that  she  was,  she  only 
longed  to  creep  away  into  the  solitude 
and  hide  her  wound  like  the  gentle  doe 
with  the  fatal  bullet  burnins^  in  her  flesh. 


109 


Tliej  were  leaving  the  table ;  Senor 
Lerma  was  tenderly  replacing  Seiiorita 
Barassa's  lace  scarf,  and  he  bent  his 
head  in  lover-like  fashion  while  the  girl 
smiled  brightly  into  his  face.  Poor 
'Cension  could  not  move  ;  she  seemed 
rooted  to  the  narrow  boards  under  her 
feet,  and  even  all  fear  of  recognition 
faded  from  her  mind.  They  passed  so 
near  she  could  have  touched  his  arm, 
but  she  made  no  sign,  and  the  woman, 
turning  a  moment  later  to  speak  to  her, 
found  her  gone. 

"Not  5(9Zr^/" ejaculated  the  good  soul. 
"  Who  was  with  her  ?"  But  no  one 
knew,  and  the  subject  of  their  conject- 
ures was  then  walking  along  the  cob- 
ble-stone pavement  beyond,  not  alone, 
indeed,  for  Bonito  kept  even  pace  with 
the  quick  footsteps. 

Fortunately  he  could  not  ask  ques- 
tions, though  he  seemed  to  interrogate. 


no 


them  plainly  enough  in  liis  gait  and  his 
frequently  elevated  nose.  What  had 
come  to  his  mistress  that  she  ignored  his 
very  presence  at  her  side?  and  why  that 
tense  look  on  her  face  ?  He  could  stand 
it  no  longer  when  they  turned  into  "  lov- 
er's lane."  He  pressed  himself  against 
her  and  looked  anxiously  up  into  her  face. 

"  Oh,  Bonito,  Bonito,  if  he  does  not 
love  me  any  more  I  shall  die  !  Madre 
de  Dios,  I  shall  die  !"  she  sobbed,  throw- 
ing her  hands  outward  and  upward  in 
the  expressive  gesticulation  which  is  so 
much  a  part  of  these  Southerners'  nat- 
ures. 

Poor  child,  she  did  not  know  the 
meaning  of  the  word  jealousy,  but  the 
green  -  eyed  monster  had  entered  and 
taken  possession  of  her  being.  Lavish 
of  all  emotions,  desperately  in  earnest 
in  all  she  did,  this  new  suffering  was 
only  in  the  same  degree  terrible  as  was 


Ill 


the  giving  of  lier  life's  love  entire,  ir- 
rev^ocable,  comjDlete. 

The  beauty  of  the  night  was  nanght 
to  her  now.  She  was  only  conscious  of 
thinking  wearily  how  long  the  way  was. 
But  this  girl's  tender  heart  was  wound- 
ed, not  revengeful.  "  The  heart  of  Nat- 
ure beat  so  near,  its  pulses  regulate 
her  own."  Gradually  the  calm  of  the 
night  comforted  her.  Her  test  had 
been  as  a  fever,  commencing  in  deliri- 
um, gradually  taking  on  the  intermit- 
tent stages  of  vacillating  doubt,  until 
each  return,  becoming  less  frequent  and 
less  severe,  the  "equilibrium  of  j^eace" 
was  restored. 

She  spoke  aloud  to  Bonito  as  a  distant 
chanticleer  threw  his  note  out  upon  the 
stillness. 

"'We  should  not  have  gone,  old  fel- 
low ;  Saint  Francis  has  punished  me  for 
my  curiosity.    I  do  not  understand  things 


112 


now,  but  it  will  all  conio  riglit,''  she  soft- 
ly added,  murmuring  the  saintly  name 
again,  and  crossing  herself  slowly.  "  It 
is  wicked  to  feel  like  this,  Bonito,"  she 
went  on,  brightening.  '' Nuestra  Senora 
de  los  Bemedlos  will  not  forget  me." 

She  walked  on  some  distance  in  si- 
lence, then  said : 

''  Mira  I  onira  !  Bonito,  how  the 
trees  stand  forward  to  meet  us,"  and 
catching  him  by  his  collar  she  hurried 
forward.  "  The  hedge  looks  sorry  that 
we  went,  but  the  alfalfa  nods  to  see  us 
back  so  safe  —  if  not  so  haj^py,"  she 
added,  regretfully. 

They  found  the  house  in  utter  dark- 
ness and  stillness,  and  'Cension  raised 
the  latch  of  her  door  softly,  sure  that 
she  had  not  been  missed.  She  threw 
herself,  just  as  she  was,  across  the  bed 
at  Anita's  feet,  and  soon  lost  all  her 
misgivings  in  an  exhausted,  dreamless 


113 


sleep  that  lasted  far  into  the  bright 
morning ;  excitement  had  drugged  her 
like  a  narcotic.  Bonito  followed  her 
into  the  room  and  stretched  himself  by 
the  bed,  not  shirking  his  association 
with  the  night's  escapade  when  they 
should  find  her  there  in  the  morning. 


VI 


Anita  rubbed  her  eyes  many  times 
when  she  sat  np  in  the  bed  next  morn- 
ing. She  called,  in  a  subdued  excite- 
ment, "'Cension !  'Cension  !"  but  the 
sleeper  did  not  stir.  The  chjld  slipped 
out  of  bed,  and,  dressing  lierself  hur- 
riedly, went  out  where  she  heard  Dona 
Liseta  calling  the  chickens  to  their 
morning  meal. 

^'  Oh,  onadre  P''  she  cried,  "  come  look 
at  'Cension.  She  has  not  been  to  bed 
all  night.  She  is  asleep  across  the  bed 
— with  her  pink  dress  on !"  the  last 
words  in  a  climax  of  wonder. 

"  Child,  you  must  be  crazy,"  the  moth- 
er said,  staring  at  the  excited  little  face 


115 


with  a  sickening,  dreadful  fear  showing 
itself  in  her  own. 

"  'No,  mama,  it  is  true ;  come."  And 
Anita  caught  her  mother's  hand  and 
hurried  her  towards  the  open  door. 

True,  indeed  !  The  unconscious  fig- 
ure looked  weary  and  dust-covered,  and 
the  mother  stood  like  one  struck  dumb 
and  gazed  in  strange  apathy  at  the 
sight. 

"Where  has  she  been, mama .^"  ques- 
tioned Anita,  frightened  at  her  mother's 
expression. 

"  The  saints  only  know,"  she  was  con- 
scious of  repeating,  but  her  lips  did  not 
move,  there  was  no  sound,  and  she 
turned  and  went  out  tlirou2:h  the  door 
like  one  dazed.  Bonito  felt  that  the 
tug  liad  come,  and  he  rapped  repeatedly 
on  the  floor  and  said  in  his  anxious  e}'es 
as  plainly  as  ever  a  dog  could,  "I  was 
with  her,  it  is  all  right;"  but  no  notice 


IIG 


was  taken  of  liiiii,  and  he  got  np,  and, 
going  to  the  bed,  rubbed  his  nose  along 
one  dusty  shoe,  with  a  pathetic  anxiety 
in  his  face  to  see  her  awake  and  explain 
their  late  jaunt. 

Dona  Liseta  walked  on  towards  the 
corral,  where  she  met  Pablo  coming  with 
an  armful  of  prairie  hay  for  his  horse. 

"Why,  oncund,  what  is  the  matter?" 
he  exclaimed,  gazing  into  her  blanched 
face. 

"  Oh,  Pablo,  you  told  me  not  to  think 
about  it,  and  now  it  is  too  late.  She  is 
lost !  she  is  lost !"  and  the  tensely  strung 
nerves  gave  way  suddenly  in  a  burst  of 
violent  weeping. 

Pablo  dropped  his  burden  on  the 
ground,  and,  taking  his  mother's  hands, 
said,  in  a  strange  voice  : 

"  Tell  me,  mother,  for  Heaven's  sake, 
what  you  mean.     She  is  not  gone?" 

"  She  has  been  away  last  night — with 


117 


him,"  she  tremblingly  articulated.  ''  Oh, 
Pablo,  my  heart  is  broken  !  My  poor 
'Cension  !  my  beautiful  child  !"  and  her 
grief  was  far  beyond  control  now. 

A  hard,  set  whiteness  came  over 
Pablo's  face  that  one  could  not  have 
anticipated  there,  and  he  looked  fixed- 
ly at  a  corner  of  the  wall  as  if  control- 
ling himself  before  he  spoke.  "  Calm 
yourself,  mother,  and  tell  me  all  you 
know." 

"  I  know  nothing,"  she  sobbed  ;  "Ani- 
ta told  me.  She  is  asleep  on  the  bed ; 
go  see  for  yourself." 

Pablo  did  not  wait,  but  struck  out  for 
the  door  with  strans^e,  lono^  strides.  He 
stood  for  a  moment  looking  down  upon 
the  sleeping  figure,  his  face  working 
like  a  child's  before  sensitive  tears,  and 
there  was  a  dangerous  look  riveted  there 
as  he  raised  his  right  hand  menacingl}^ 
above  his  head  with  an  upward  look. 


118 


He  still  stood  silently  gazing  down  upon 
her  when  she  opened  her  eyes,  and,  sit- 
ting quiclvly  erect,  put  her  hand  before 
her  face  in  a  dazed  way,  and  said  : 

"  What  is  it,  Pablo  ?  What  do  you 
want  with  me  ?"  Then,  noticing  the  pink 
dress  and  dusty  shoes,  she  looked  up 
with  a  rush  of  color,  and  said,  apologeti- 
cally, '^  Oh,  Pablo,  I  was  so  tired.  I 
meant  to  undress,  but — I — guess  I  for- 
got it."  She  sent  a  wan  little  smile  up 
to  him,  for  the  unsatisfactory  evening 
had  returned  to  her  suddenly. 

"Where  have  you  been,  'Cension  ? 
Why  are  you  like  this?  What  have 
you  done  ?"  he  demanded,  sternly. 

"Oh,  Pablo,  please  do  not  be  angry 
with  me.  Indeed  I  did  not  think  it 
would  be  wrong,  and  I  could  not  ask 
you  to  go  to  such  a  place.  I  meant  to 
tell  you  this  morning  if  you  asked  mo, 
and — I  am  already  very  unhappy,"  she 


119 


concluded,  with  a  tremble  of  distress  in 
her  voice. 

"  What  do  jou  mean,  'Cension  ?  I 
insist  npon  jonr  telling  me  at  once 
wliat  this  means." 

"  It  means  that  Eduardo  does  not  love 
me  any  more,  and  my  heart  is  broken," 
she  sobbed,  plaintively,  the  long  tension 
on  her  nerves  refusing  further  strain. 
"  Oh,  Pablo,  I  know  he  can't  love  me, 
after  seeins:  that  other  woman  that  loves 
him  too." 

"  'Cension,  tell  me,  quick  —  where 
liave  you  been  ?" 

"  To  Paso  del  N'orte,"  she  answered. 

^' Where?" 

"  To  Paso  del  ISTorte— to  the  laiU:' 

"  Who  took  you  ?  how  did  you  go  ?" 

"I  walked,  Bonito  and  I,"  and  here 
the  escort  mentioned  thumped  dread- 
fully hard  indeed  upon  the  floor.  Pa- 
blo's face   was  relaxing;   'Cension  was 


120 


truth  itself,  and  he  felt  that  he  was  be- 
ginning to  understand. 

''  Do  you  mean  that  you  walked  alone 
with  Bonito  last  night  to  see  the  ball?" 

"  Yes,  Pablo.  I  did  not  think  it  was 
much  of  a  walk,  but  I  am  very  tired, 
after  all,"  and  she  stood  up  wearily  on 
her  feet.  "  I  did  not  enjoy  it  much," 
she  went  on,  piteously.  "  Oh,  Pablo,  do 
you  think  Eduardo  would  love  any  one 
else  ?"  Big  tears  filled  the  sweet  eyes, 
and  Pablo,  in  his  quick  sympathy,  un- 
derstanding something  of  her  trouble, 
said  very  gently,  with  his  hand  on  hers, 

"Never  mind,  little  girl,  he  is  not 
worth  your  thoughts,  much  less  your 
tears." 

He  inwardly  hoped  the  fellow  had 
found  some  one  else  to  turn  him  from 
this  child  ;  it  would  be  the  best  way  out 
of  it,  and  the  quickest  way  to  cure  her 
of  her  infatuation.     He  could  not  find 


121 


it  in  his  heart  to  scold  her  now,  so  lie 
contented  himself  with  saying : 

"  You  ought  not  to  have  done  it, 
'Cension.  You  should  have  told  me 
you  wanted  to  go."  He  motioned  to 
the  dog,  and  Bonito,  seeing  that  hostili- 
ties were  amicahly  settled,  followed  hira 
from  the  room  willingly  enough. 

He  turned  towards  his  mother's  room, 
for  he  felt  she  would  be  there.  She  sat 
in  a  low  chair  before  a  small  crucifix  on 
the  window-sill,  rocking  herself  to  and 
fro  monotonously. 

"  Dear  mama,  we  were  dreadfully  mis- 
taken. 'Cension  has  done  no  wrong! 
— that  is,  no  dreadful  wrong.  She  only 
walked  to  town  last  night  to  see  the  ball. 
She  did  not  even  speak  to  Lerma  !" 

"In  the  name  of  the  blessed  Yirgin, 
what  put  such  a  thing  into  her  head  ?" 
exclaimed  Dona  Liseta,  showing  very 
natural  anger  in  the  sudden  relief. 


122 


"  Do  not  scold  lier ;  she  is  already 
punished  enonp^h,  poor  little  girl,"  he 
interposed.  "For  mercy's  sake,  never 
let  the  child  know  what  we  thought. 
We  never  should  have  thought  it,  moth- 
er. Promise  me  to  say  as  little  as  pos- 
sihle  to  her  ahout  it  —  for  my  sake," 
he  added,  as  she  looked  \cry  deter- 
mined. 

"You  always  ask  such  queer  things, 
Pablo.  One  does  not  know  what  you 
will  expect  next."  She  spoke  in  deep 
irritation,  but  Pablo  wisely  held  his 
peace ;  he  knew  it  would  be  as  he 
wished,  and  he  quietly  left  the  room 
with  Bonito  at  his  heels. 

He  stopped  by  the  door,  and,  dexter- 
ously rolling  a  cigarette  between  his  fin- 
gers, looked  absently  down  the  road. 
Yes,  this  fright  redoubled  his  anxiety, 
strengthened  his  purpose,  and  he  made 
up  his  mind  to  broach  the  subject  of  his 


123 


journey  that  very  day  and  start  on  the 
morrow. 

In  the  quiet  of  the  afternoon,  as  the 
trees  threw  long  slanting  shadows  on 
the  road,  'Cension  came  slowly  along  its 
dusty  way,  and  when  near  home  sprang 
lightly  upon  the  low  adobe  wall  that  ran 
along  one  side,  and  proceeded  to  sort  a 
bunch  of  feathery  grasses  she  had  gath- 
ered in  her  walk  by  the  fields.  She 
could  not  have  named  a  species  of  the 
lot ;  they  were  to  her  only  some  of  the 
''  beautiful  worsteds  in  Nature's  carpet." 
She  had  long  since  carried  her  troubles 
to  the  Mother  of  Sorrows,  and  a  calm  of 
half-content  had  returned  to  her  bosom. 
Pablo  came  up  and  touched  her  hands 
before  she  was  aware  of  his  presence. 
She  turned  two  surprised  eyes  upon  her 
brother. 

'•You  here,  Pablo?     I  fancied  you 


124 


must  be  over  there,"  nodding  at  a  soli- 
tary square  enclosure  under  some  alamos 
in  the  field.  "Wlien  there  is  so  much 
of  heaven  all  around,  I  think  you  could 
go  there  in  such  a  time  as  this,  Pablo, 
and  you  would  forget  it  was  a  sorrowful 
place.  You  could  not  think  of  her  as 
down  there,  but  as  already  relieved  from 
atonement  and  with  the  blessed  Mother, 
who  would  send  comfort  to  your  heart." 

"  'Cension,  it  is  hard  for  even  religion 
to  comfort  such  sorrow  as  mine.  But 
we  will  not  talk  of  sorrows.  I  came  to 
tell  you  that  I  am  going  to  Mexico  to- 
morrow." 

''  To  the  city  !  Oh,  Pablo  !  Not  go- 
ing away  on  the  railroad  again,  are 
you?"  she  exclaimed,  in  distress. 

"No,  no,  I  am  only  going  for  a  few 
days.  I  will  come  back  just  as  soon  as 
I  can  attend  to  some  negotio  there." 

^'Negotio!     Why,  Pablo,  what  busi- 


125 


ness  can  you  have  clown  there  ?  You 
never  go  on  tliese  short  trips." 

"It  is  an  important  matter.  I  mnst 
attend  to  it  in  person."  He  avoided  her 
eyes  by  looking  across  the  field. 

"I  will  be  so  triste.  You  won't  stay 
many  days?"  she  questioned,  anxiously 
looking  into  his  face.  This  going  away 
of  Pablo's  was  very  strange,  and  she  felt 
slightly  dissatisfied  with  its  vagueness. 

"I  have  no  wish  to  stay  longer  than 
is  necessary.  I  only  wish,"  he  went  on, 
slowly,  looking  down  and  drawing  fig- 
ures in  the  dust  w^ith  his  foot,  "  that  I 
did  not  feel  that  I  ought  to  go  at  all." 

'*AYhy  do  you  go?  Tell  me,  Pablo. 
Have  you  ceased  to  trust  me?" 

"No,  no,  'Cension.  I  could  never 
cease  to  trnst  you,  child,"  a  dull  red 
coming  guiltily  into  his  cheeks  as  he  re- 
membered that  morning.  "I  will  tell 
you  more — everything — when    I    come 


12G 


back.  So  let  nie  help  you  down  now," 
he  said,  giving  her  his  hands,  touched 
by  her  rehictance  to  see  him  go.  "It  is 
growing  chill  here,  and  the  night  falls 
so  suddenly." 

She  landed  lightly  on  her  feet,  and, 
looking  through  the  trees,  said,  quickly, 
"  Isn't  that  Seiior  Lerma's  horse  at  the 
door  ?"  Before  he  could  answer  she  was 
w^alking,  almost  running,  towards  the 
house. 

The  brother  looked  after  her  and 
stood  pondering  in  deep  dejection  where 
she  had  left  him  before  he  followed  in 
her  footsteps.  Evidently  the  fellow 
Iiad  not  found  some  one  else.  "Well,  he 
would  not  be  gone  long,  and  when  he  re- 
turned he  would  interview  Senor  Lerma. 

Lerma's  caballo  was  indeed  at  the 
door,  but  neither  the  rider  nor  'Cension 
was  to  be  seen.  They  had  seated  them- 
selves on  the  heap  of  adobes  beyond  the 


127 


patio.  In  her  joy  at  seeing  her  lover's 
face  she  had  forgotten  lier  misgivings ; 
but  now,  seated  quietly,  and  Eduardo 
drinking  in  the  beanty  before  him,  his 
look  stabbed  her  memory  with  tlie  old 
pang. 

"Oh,  Eduardo,"  she  said,  "I  have 
been  so  unhappy."  She  paused,  embar- 
rassed. 

"  Unhappy,  sweet  ?  Why  have  you 
been  unhappy  ?"  He  took  the  slender 
fingers  in  his  two  hands  and  leaned 
towards  her,  but  she  still  kept  silent. 
"  Can't  you  tell  me  what  it  is,  'Cen- 
sion?" 

"You  will  hate  me!"  she  burst  out, 
excitedly. 

"Hate  you,  lindaT^  and  he  said  no 
more,  but  looked  with  burning  eyes 
straiglit  into  her  own. 

"  Have  they  told  you  to  give  me  upf ' 
he  asked. 


128 


"  No,  no.  No  one  has  told  me  any- 
thing. Why  slionld  they?  But  I— I 
was  at  the  ball  last  night  —  and  —  I  — 
saw — Jesnsita."  And  she  could  not  have 
spoken  another  word  to  save  her  life. 

"  At  the  ball !  Saw  Jesusita !  Well, 
what  of  that  ?  Only  you  must  be  dream- 
ing. Who  took  you  to  the  ball  ?  I 
did  not  see  you.  What  do  you  mean, 
child?"  She  sobbed  and  made  no  an- 
swer. 

He  soothed  her  with  sweet  words,  and 
watched  the  beautiful  abandoned  fio^ure 
with  deep  perplexity. 

"I  love  Jesusita?"  he  exclaimed, 
presently,  as  she  whispered  something 
with  her  face  turned  awa}^  "  I'd  as  soon 
think  of  loving — that  willow  post,"  he 
retorted,  seeking  a  comparison  ;  and  for 
once  in  his  life  he  spoke  the  truth.  "  I 
love  no  creature  on  earth  but  your  own 
sweet  self."     As  near  as  he  was  capable 


129 


of  loving  anything,  lie  did  love  tlie 
gracious  piece  of  womanhood  before 
him,  and  at  the  thought  of  Jesosita 
and  her  platitudes  in  this  hour  he  could 
have  spat  upon  the  ground  in  disgust. 
Ko,  no;  if  it  came  to  a  question  of  the 
two,  give  up  this  one — never  ! 

Ah,  Pablo,  watchful  brother,  you 
must  speed  you  on  your  mission,  or  the 
inveigler  will  have  made  your  interfer- 
ence too  late ! 

Later,  when  he  was  leaving,  'Cension 
told  him  of  Pablo's  proposed  absence. 
"I  could  not  have  planned  it  better  my- 
self," he  thought,  as  he  rode  along  in 
the  beautiful  night. 

Pablo  stood  on  the  long  platform  of 
the  Mexican  Central  station  next  day, 
Avaiting  for  the  cars  to  pull  over  the 
bridge  before  they  could  go  out.  Then 
he  went  up  to  Placido,  who  was  tying 


130 


Ill's  iioi'se  behind  his  outlandisli  ox- 
cart. 

"  Placido,  take  good  care  of  'Cension 
while  I  am  gone.  Be — be  watchfuh" 
Unable  to  explain  his  strange  request, 
he  walked  hurriedly  away. 

"What  ails  the  boy?  ^  Take  good 
care  of  'Cension  !'  '  be  w^atchfnl !'  No 
need  to  tell  me  to  watch  her.  Don't  I 
just  dote  on  seeing  her  shiny  eyes  and 
pink  cheeks  and  her  kittenish  ways. 
Watch  her,  indeed!"  And  the  queer 
old  soul  mounted  his  quaint  cart  behind 
his  quainter  steeds,  and  pounded  the  pa- 
tient beasts  unmercifully  as  a  vent  for 
the  uneasiness  his  young  master's  w^ords 
liad  inspired. 

Pablo  Dorantes'  journey  lasted  more 
days  than  he  had  calculated :  long  days 
over  dusty  miles,  through  arid,  ragged 
foot-hills  and  bleached  valleys  at  first; 
then  through  the  lovely  valle}"  of  Santa 


131 


Cruz  de  Eosales ;  now  into  Durango'S 
forbidding  sterility;  then  again  amid 
the  grandeur  of  loft}^  mountains  capped 
with  eternal  snow,  mazj  vistas  of  bot- 
tomless chasms  and  p3^ramidal  cones 
and  strange  cataclysmic  confusion  of 
bowlder  and  gorge  and  precipice,  and 
on  to  the  summit  guarded  by  lofty  La 
Bufa. 

He  did  not  stop  here,  but  went  on  to 
the  outskirts  of  Leon,  to  Maximo  Eu- 
perta's.  The  poor  old  man  had  sat  half- 
witted ever  since  that  cruel  day  when 
the  flood  rushed  upon  them  and  swept 
so  many  souls  into  eternity  and  so  many 
homes  into  nothingness. 

Pablo  learned  much  from  the  sorrow- 
ful old  man's  disjointed  lamentations, 
and  followed  it  up  by  shrewd  and  ex- 
haustive questionings  of  his  sad-eyed 
daughter,  who  wept  alternately  over  the 
three  little  ones  lost  in  the  raging  waters 


in2 


and  the  two  forlorn,  half-fed  ones  left  to 
her  care.  Much  saddened  by  the  desti- 
tution he  saw,  Pablo  felt  his  indignation 
doubly  augmented  against  a  certain  cal- 
lous villain  whose  deceitful  smile  he 
knew  w^ell.  Burning  to  rush  home  and 
unmask  him,  he  bade  the  deserted  wife 
farewell,  leaving  a  goodly  gold  coin  in 
the  passive  palm. 

"  Sa}",  young  sir,  if  you  should  happen 
to  see  a  fine  fellow  named  Lerma  in  your 
travels,  tell  him  Silveria  Huperta  is 
dressed  in  her  beautiful  white  wedding 
gown,  with  the  orange  flowers  in  her 
pretty  hair,  waiting  for  him  and  the 
jpadre^''  Maximo  liuperta  called  after 
the  visitor  as  Pablo  hurried  away,  un- 
able to  bear  the  sound  of  Silveria  Ler- 
ma's  tearful  soothing  of  the  old  man, 
who  began  shrieking  that  "the  flood  was 
upon  them  again." 


i:]3 


Pablo  then  went  by  diligencia  to  San 
Luis  Potosi,  still  pursued  by  the  hope- 
less face  he  saw  at  Leon,  then  hastened 
to  the  City  of  Mexico  to  get  confirma- 
tion of  his  last  suspicion  of  Lerina.  He 
succeeded.  All  was  complete  !  He  was 
ready  to  return  and  face  the  traitor  at 
home.  The  thought  of  the  coming 
meeting  made  his  blood  boil  with  wrath. 
He  stopped  a  half -day  at  Queretaro 
on  his  return,  and  held  a  confiden- 
tial interview  with  one  Guillermo  Al- 
derete,  who  lived  under  the  shadow  of 
the  "  Cerro  de  las  Campanas,"  where 
three  lonely  crosses  mark  the  spot  where 
Maximilian,  Miramon,  and  Mejia  re- 
ceived the  death -bullets.  As  Pablo 
walked  along  with  his  mind  full  of  these 
fateful  reminders,  Alderete  himself,  un- 
washed, uncombed,  after  a  hard  night  at 
"  El  Antiqua  Cafe  del  Infiernito,"  hove 
in  sight  and  recognized  him. 


134 


They  rushed  into  each  otliers  arms, 
smilingly  patting  each  other  on  the  back 
in  that  devoted  fashion  which  means 
so  little  with  the  Mexicans.  Gnillermo 
was  the  most  famous  detective  between 
Zacatecas  and  the  City  of  Mexico.  Pa- 
blo explained  his  mission.  Alderete  ea- 
gerly agreed  to  accompany  liim  in  an 
hour.  Shortly  the}^  boarded  the  train, 
and  sped  away  on  the  track  of  the  un- 
suspecting subject  of  their  whispered 
conversations. 


VII 


In  the  meantime  Lernia's  knavery 
was  not  sleeping.  The  frequency  of  his 
visits  in  Pablo's  absence  filled  Dona 
Liseta  with  deep  anxiety,  and  the  rest- 
less, worried  look  on  her  daughter's  face 
in  the  last  few  days  touched  her  heart 
with  vague  alarm. 

"I  do  not  approve  of  Seilor  Lerma's 
frequent  visits,"  she  found  courage  to 
say  one  sunny  morning,  when  mother 
and  daughter  were  engaged  over  some 
needle -work.  She  noted  the  blush 
which  suffused  'Cension's  face,  and  she 
drew  discouraging  conclusions  from  it. 

"  Why  should  he  not  come,  mama  f 
He  loves  me,  you  know,  and  we  will  be 
married  when — when  " — and  her  voice 


136 


trembled  in  a  frightened  way — "  when 
the  padre  thinks  best,"  slie  concluded, 
faintly. 

"  'Cension,  Pablo  does  not  approve  of 
Seiior  Lerma,"  she  made  bold  to  say. 

"Not  approve?  He  has  not  said  so 
to  me.  He  knows  we  will  be  married 
— soon."  Again  the  hesitation  and  vivid 
blush  that  showed  more  than  a  girl's 
natural  confusion  at  the  mention  of  her 
marriage. 

"He  ought  to  have  said  it,"  mentally 
commented  the  seiiora.  She  felt  deeply 
incensed  at  Pablo's  strange  treatment  of 
this  matter.  What  could  she  say  or  do, 
indeed,  to  interfere,  w^hen  'Cension  had 
been  allowed  to  believe  that  the  devo- 
tion of  her  lover  was  almost  as  accept- 
able to  all  the  rest  as  it  was  to  her- 
self. She  had  no  reason  to  give  if 
she  interfered.  And  certainly  Pablo 
had  doubted  him.     Something  must  be 


U1 


wrons:.  He  could  not  mean  well.  She 
anxiously  reiterated,  "  I  wish  Pablo 
would  come." 

'Cension  rose  when  her  task  was  fin- 
ished and  walked  towards  the  public 
road.  Seating  herself  on  the  trunk  of 
an  uprooted  cottonwood.  she  looked  ab- 
sently at  the  scene  before  her.  The  old- 
time  glow  which  transformed  the  face 
at  tlie  undisturbed  enjoyment  of  nature 
did  not  come  to-day. 

One  accustomed  to  her  sweet  vivacity 
would  have  been  struck  by  the  despon- 
dency of  the  young  face,  tlie  weariness 
of  the  dark  eyes,  the  drooping  attitude. 
Carlyle  says,  "  Say  unto  all  kinds  of 
happiness,  I  can  do  without  thee;  with 
self-renunciation  life  begins."  It  took 
little  indeed  to  constitute  happiness  to 
her;  she  would  make  no  exhaustive  de- 
mands npon  Fate's  hoard  of  gifts;  she 
asked  not  for  ambition,  power,  wealth, 


138 


or  ease,  she  only  craved  sunshine  and 
peace.  Alas,  that  such  modest  petition- 
ers may  be  turned  away  empty-handed! 

Eduardo  rode  almost  past  her  before 
he  saw  the  quiet  figure. 

"  WJiat  are  you  doing,  sweetheart  ?" 

"Thinking,"  she  answered,  briefly, 
lifting  those  dark  eyes  to  his  face,  to 
which  the  long  lashes  gave  the  look  of 
those  Venetian  beauties  Giorgione  loved 
to  paint. 

"Thinking?  Then  my  love  has  at 
last  decided  to — trust,  to  do  all  that  he 
asks  for  the  man  she  loves  ?     Is  it  so?" 

He  must  make  the  most  of  this  blessed 
opportunity. 

"No,  Eduardo.  You  do  not  under- 
stand. I  have  decided  nothing.  The 
more  I  think,  the  more  miserable  I 
become."  And  one  wonders  how  he 
could  feel  no  pity  for  the  troubled,  up- 
turned face. 


139 


"  You  are  a  cruel,  foolish  girl."  She 
winced.  "I  ask  you  to  be  married  a 
few  weeks  sooner  than  might  be  ex- 
pected. You  treat  me  as  if  I  were  a 
ladron.  I  ask  you  to  trust  the  man  you 
w^ill  spend  all  your  future  with ;  you 
seem  to  think  it  a  crime.  I  am  out  of 
patience  with  it  all.  You  don't  love 
me,"  and  he  walked  off  a  few  steps,  well 
knowing  the  nature  he  was  dealing 
with. 

"  You  are  unjust,"  she  answered,  when 
he  came  nearer.  "'  I  have  given  all  there 
is  in  me  of  love  to  you.  You  well 
know  it.  I  wnll  not  be  moved  by  your 
reproaches.  Soy  la  culjxtble,  for  lov- 
ing you  too  well.  But  even  for  you," 
she  went  on,  gentl}^,  "I  cannot  consent 
to  do  something  that  would  hurt  Pablo 
and  mama — and  the  rest,"  she  added, 
mentally  picturing  the  bluff  father's 
pride  and  affection  and  old  Placido's  de- 


140 


votion,  "  unless  it  is  best,  and  for  everj- 
bocl3^'s  happiness.  You  should  not  ask  it. 
We  must  not  think  only  of  ourselves." 

"My  happiness  counts  for  nada^''  he 
exclaimed,  impatiently,  "and  you  say 
you  love  me !" 

"  I  do,"  slie  answered,  simply,  "  I  do 
love  you  with  my  whole  soul.  I  have 
no  life  only  in  you,"  she  went  on,  pas- 
sionatel3\  "  I  trust  you  ;  I  do  not  doubt 
you  ;  but — there  is  something,  Eduardo, 
something  within  me  that  tortures  nie 
at  the  thou2:ht  of  doino^  as  you  ask.  I 
cannot  feel  that  it  is  right,  though  you 
tell  me  that  it  is  not  wrong.  I  do  not 
know  what  it  is,"  she  went  on  in  an  in- 
tense voice.  "I  cannot  make  you  un- 
derstand, but  I  can't  be  happy  for  it, 
and  —  I  cannot  go  without  their  con- 
sent," she  concluded  very  quietly,  with 
a  straight  look  into  his  eyes  that  might 
well  discourage  him. 


141 


He  looked  at  her  sternly,  and  a  dis- 
heartening fear  came  to  him  that  she 
might  not  yield  at  all.  But  she  must ; 
it  was  almost  his  last  hope.  It  must 
be  done  before  that  hateful  Pablo 
returned.  The  amicable  feeling  be- 
tween these  two  was,  without  doubt, 
"Brother,  brother,  we  could  hang  each 
other." 

"'Cension,  you  make  me  very  un- 
happy. You  make  me  almost  doubt 
your  love.  I  cannot  go  without  you," 
and  he  took  her  hands  and  held  them 
close  in  his  own.  "  I  have  told  you  how 
an  unexpected  train  of  circumstances 
makes  it  necessary  for  me  to  leave  here 
to-morrow,  and  I  ask  so  little,  only  that 
you  will  go  with  me — that  you  will  not 
send  me  away  without  you."  And  the 
dastard  had  told  it  so  often,  and  so  much 
in  earnest,  that  he  actually  felt  for  the 
time  that  it  was  true,  and  a  feeling  of 


142 


almost  self-pity  came  over  him  va<^iiely 
because  of  these  cruel  circumstances. 
"I  may  never  come  back.  'Cension," 
he  went  on,  dramatically,  but  very  much 
in  earnest,  for  he  saw  he  must  do  his 
best,  "could  you  live  without  me  and 
be  happy  ?"  And  taking  advantage  of  the 
pain-stricken  expression  of  her  face,  he 
went  on,  pleadingly,  "Do  not  say  no. 
Then  I  shall  go  away,  and  perhaps  never 
see  your  face  again." 

She  looked  away  from  him  and  said 
never  a  word.  A  throbbing  went  and 
came  within  her.  She  was  conscious  of 
only  wondering  idly  why  some  of  the 
distant  cotton  woods  were  such  a  brill- 
iant yellow  while  nearly  all  else  was  so 
sere ;  it  was  now  November. 

Drawing  her  hands  away  from  his 
close  clasp,  she  rose  wearily  to  her  feet, 
and  said, 

"Well — well,   let   me   go   now,   Ed- 


143 


uardo.  I  feel  tired — unsettled.  No,  do 
not  come  to  the  house  with  me." 

"But  when  I  come  to-morrow — will 
jou  be  ready?"  he  asked,  following  her. 

"  I — I — do  not  know,"  she  answered, 
almost  as  if  she  did  not  know  what 
words  she  was  saying. 

"I  will  come,  and  I  will  be  made 
liappy,"  he  exclaimed.  He  kissed  her 
hands  and  stood  watching  her  go  slow- 
ly back  to  the  house.  "  She  suspects 
nothing — yet  gives  me  so  much  trou- 
ble. I  will  have  earned  my  happiness, 
my  pretty  one,"  he  said,  half  aloud, 
as  he  turned  and  walked  towards  his 
horse,  grazing  a  few  paces  away.  He 
had  devoted  the  evening  before  to  Jesu- 
sita.  As  he  rode  along  he  thought  she 
would  not  be  so  hard  to  persuade  to  do 
w^iat  he  asked  of  'Cension.  The  clan- 
destine marriage  would  only  add  ro- 
mance, make  her  feel  that  she  was  nobly 


144 


sacrificing  in  licr  love  for  him.  But, 
man-like,  he  longed  for  the  fruit  just 
beyond  his  reach. 

"Women  are  generally  accredited  with 
arriving  at  their  conclusions  through 
instinct,  not  reason  ;  but  there  was  more 
than  a  spark  of  the  latter  in  'Cen- 
sion's  present  indecision.  She  hon- 
estly believed  every  word  the  tempter 
said  of  the  "  circumstances"  which  made 
him  ask  of  her  to  be  married  clandes- 
tinel}^  But  why  concealment  without 
motive?  The  guileless  nature  was  tort- 
ured at  the  idea  of  deceiving  those  who 
loved  her,  and  starting  on  the  new  life 
with  no  blessing. 

No !  If  this  marriage  must  be  con- 
cealed she  would  none  of  it ! 


The  next  morning  she  felt  lighter  of 
heart  than  for  many  days  past,  and  kissed 
Dona  Liseta  with  no  sign  of  the  shad- 


145 


owed  eyes  tliat  had  of  late  so  trouLled 
the  mother's  heart. 

She  stood  in  the  door  and  looked 
down  the  road. 

"I  hope  Pablo  will  come  to-day.  I 
will  be  happier  when  he  is  here.  I  am 
an  ungrateful  girl ;  I  have  let  myself  be 
really  unhappy  over  the  thought  of  this 
sliort  separation  from  Eduardo,  for  it  is, 
of  course,  nothing  more.  He  will  come 
back  soon.  Why  shouldn't  he?  But  I 
shall  say  'no'  to  him.     It  is  best  so." 

She  came  into  the  corral  with  slow- 
moving  Bonito  at  her  heels.  Enrique, 
one  of  the  small  brothers,  suddenly  came 
in  view,  shouting,  gayly, 

"  'Cension,  here  is  Pablo  !"  She  fol- 
lowed the  flying  figure  with  quick  foot- 
steps; she  heard  a  cheery  voice  greeting 
Enrique.  She  fairly  flew  into  Pablo's 
arms,  and  held  liim  convulsively  about 
the  neck.     ''Oh,    Pablo!  oh,    Pablo!" 

10 


14(; 


was  all  slie  could  say  in  the  surprise 
and  relief  which  came  with  his  helpful 
presence. 

"  Little  sister,  you  delight  me,"  he 
eaid,  smiling  at  her  greeting.  "  Did  you 
miss  me  so  much,  then  ?" 

"I  have  been  unhappy,  wretched, 
without  you." 

"  Where  has  Lerma  been  ?  With  you 
sometimes?" 

She  looked  apprehensively  at  him. 
"Yes,  quite  often."  Then  she  forgot 
all  her  reserve.  Lerma  had  told  her  not 
to  mention  this  thing  to  her  mother, 
but  had  said  nothing  of  the  brother. 

"  Oh,  I  am  80  glad  I  did  not  do  it, 
Fablo!"  she  said,  suddenl}^,  taking  his 
hand.  "  So  glad  I  did  not  go  before 
you  came.  You  would  not  have  under- 
stood." 

"G.lad  you  did  not  do  what?"  asked 
Pablo,  his  face  darkening. 


141 


"  Don't  be  angry.  Eduardo,  poor  fel- 
low, lias  been  dreadfully  treated  by  some 
people  lie  trusted.  He  has  to  go  away 
because  of  it.  He  is  so  worried.  It 
is  strange  how  wicked  people  can  be, 
isn't  it?" 

"Yes,  it  is,"  he  answered,  meaningly. 
"What  is  it  you  are  glad  you  did  not 
do?"  he  demanded. 

She  came  closer  to  him  with  her 
hands  clasped  behind  her,  blushing  beau- 
tifully, and  almost  whispered  the  words 
which  so  affected  him. 

"I  am  just  in  time.  Cristo,  if  I 
liad  been  too  late !"  he  said  under  his 
breath. 

"Pablo,  you  look  as  you  did  when  I 
went  to  the  ball.  Are  you  so  angry 
with  me,  hermano?  llama  said  j^ou 
did  not  like  Eduardo.  You  do,  do  you 
not,  Pablo?" 

He  did  not  answer.     She  stood  with 


148 


downcast  eyes  and  quivering  lips  before 
him,  like  a  grieved  child  at  an  unex- 
pected reprimand. 

After  a  moment  he  mastered  his  pas- 
sion, lie  took  her  by  the  hand  and 
walked  on  towards  the  mother's  room, 
saying,  "  I  am  not  angry.  You  are  a 
good  little  sister  to  tell  me  this.  I 
will  arrange  it  w^ith  Lerma."  She  did 
not  see  the  gleam  in  his  eyes.  "  Think 
no  more  about  it  now.  To-morrow^  I 
will  tell  you  why  I  went  away,  as  I 
promised  to  do." 

"But  I  won't  be  here  to-morrow, 
Pablo  mio.  It  is  to-niglit  that  Eduardo 
must  go." 

"Yes,  I  understand.  I  know  he  will 
go  away  to-night,"  he  said  in  stern,  de- 
cisive tones.  "But  I  don't  think  you 
will  go  with  him,  'Cension." 

"But  Father  Miranda  has  promised 
to  be  at  the  church  to-night  to  meet  us ! 


149 


Eduardo  told  me  jesterda}-.  You  don* t 
mean  that  1  am  not  to  go  ?  I  will  be  so 
unhappy  to  disappoint  him,"  and  she 
gazed  pleadingly  at  him. 

"I  tell  you  I  will  see  him  when  lie 
comes,"  he  answered,  evasively.  "Run 
along  now ;  I  must  have  a  talk  with 
mother.     I  have  not  seen  her  3'et." 

He  understood,  without  many  words, 
what  his  mother  had  to  tell  liim,  and 
felt  that  she  might  well  rejoice  that  he 
had  come,  even  if  she  did  mingle  her 
satisfaction  with  much  blame  for  him. 
He  thought  it  best  to  keep  his  sister's 
late  confidence  to  himself,  so  he  did 
not  tell  her  all  that  his  coming  might 
mean. 

"  Heaven  be  praised  that  I  did  not 
stay  that  one  day  more  at  Queretaro 
when  Alderete  urged  me,"  thinking  of 
that  gentleman  ensconsed  in  Placido's 
jacal  for  the  night. 


150 


He  would  see  Lerina  when  he  came, 
turn  him  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of 

Alderete's  handcuffs,  then  he  would  tell 
'Cension  the  whole  truth  to-morrow. 
He  decided  upon  his  course  with  no  in- 
considerable fortitude,  for  his  gentle 
heart  shrank  from  opening  her  eyes  to 
the  true  state  of  affairs. 

The  moon  rose  in  a  brilliant  red-gold 
disk.  It  threaded  the  cotton  woods  and 
fell  in  sifted  rajs  upon  two  figures 
standing  very  close  in  the  quiet  night. 

"Pablo  says  he  wants  to  see  you," 
'Cension  was  saying.  "  I  will  go  and 
find  him." 

"No,  never  mind,"  interrupted  Ed- 
uardo,  laying  his  hand  upon  her  arm. 
"  To-morrow  will  do.  I  will  come  to- 
morrow." 

She  stood  a  moment  gazing  across  the 
field  before  them,  and  he  thought  he 


151 


liad  never  before  realized  how  beautiful 
she  was. 

''Ediiardo,  I  feel  as  if  I  could  never 
be  unhappy  again."  She  swung  his 
hand  that  she  held  backward  and  for- 
ward as  she  looked  at  him  half  lauirh- 
ing,  half  earnest.  "Here  I  was  making 
myself  almost  wretched  and  wicked,  and 
now  everything  is  so  perfect.  Pablo 
has  come,  and  I  need  not  be  troubled 
any  more.  And  now  you  have  come 
and  told  me  that  you  do  not  have  to  go 
away  to-night!  We  are  very  foolish 
creatures  when  we  let  ourselves  be  mis- 
erable when  all  the  world  is  so  beauti- 
ful," and  she  glanced  along  the  moonlit 
valley. 

The  sweet,  half-sad  mood  passed,  and 
she  looked  up  at  him  with  merry  eyes. 
"Why  are  you  so  silent,  Senor?"  she 
demanded,  playfully,  giving  his  hand  a 
long  swing  and  dropping  it. 


152 


AVliy,  indeed? 

Wlien  'Cension  told  hi  in,  after  tlie 
first  few  words,  when  he  found  her  tliere 
a  moment  ago,  that  Pablo  had  returned, 
he  was  bewildered,  furious.  With  her 
brother  in  the  house  he  could  not  pro- 
pose to  her  to  go  to-night.  She  would 
naturally  insist  upon  telling  him.  "With 
shrewdness  he  had  told  her  at  once  that 
he  had  found  that  he  would  not  have 
to  leave  Paso  del  Norte  just  yet,  after 
all,  and  accepted  her  loving  gesture  of 
glad  surprise,  while  he  swore  inward- 
ly, undecided  as  to  what  he  should  do 
next.  Then  she  proposed  going  to  call 
Pablo.  In  his  confusion  he  forgot  to 
ask  her  not  to  mention  this  late  plan  to 
her  brother. 

He  did  not  dream  that  Pablo  already 
knew  of  the  plan  for  the  night,  but  it 
would  have  made  no  material  dilference 
in  the  events  to  follow  if  he  had.     Pa- 


153 


blo  was  waiting  in  front  to  see  liim,  and 
would  have  had  his  reckoning  w^ith  him 
even  if  he  had  not  heard  of  this  last 
proposed  manoeuvre. 

"  You  are  not  going  alread)^,  are  you?" 
she  asked,  as  he  said  something  of  get- 
ting his  horse. 

''I  have  important  things  to  do  to- 
night." 

''  Oh,  if  YOU  might  only  stay !"  she 
pleaded.  "Surely  never  was  so  beauti- 
ful a  night.  And  look  at  the  Indians' 
signal -fires,  Eduardo,  along  the  moun- 
tains." 

"  They  are  great  idiots  to  lug  wood 
up  there  to  amuse  the  people  in  the  val- 
ley with  these  illuminations,"  said  Ler- 
ma,  sourly. 

"Eduardo,  don't  say  so.  It  is  all  in 
honor  of  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe.  "What, 
you  must  go?     AVell,  adiosP 

lie  did  not  care  to  see  Pablo  just  yet. 


154 


He  must  get  away,  think  it  out.  She 
left  a  kiss  on  the  liand  that  held  hers 
as  he  turned  and  hurried  off. 

Left  alone,  'Cension  stood  a  moment 


watcliino^  the  twinklins^  si^rnal -fires. 
Then  she  turned  towards  the  house. 
Dona  Liseta  stood  in  the  patio  critically 
eying  the  paper  coverings  she  had  just 
adjusted  ov^er  some  plants,  thinking  the 
mild  J^ovember  niglit  might  prove  cold- 
er than  usual. 

"  They  will  be  safe,  won't  they,  'Cen- 
sion ?"  she  asked,  as  her  daughter  came 
towards  her  in  the  moonlight. 

"  You  dear,  careful  mother,  yes,"  she 
answered,  lightly  swinging  by  the  7na- 
dre^s  waist  as  she  passed  her. 

"Where  are  you  going,  child?" 

"  Only  for  a  little  walk,"  she  an- 
swered, looking  back. 

'Cension  had  thought  of  something 
she  wished  to  say  to  Lerma.     His  visit 


155 


had  been  so  iinsatisfuctoiy.  lie  might 
not  yet  have  passed  tlie  hedge ;  she 
hurried  through  the  alfalfa ;  she  neared 
the  road.  She  heard  Pablo's  voice  in 
conversation  with  some  one.  "  So  they 
met,  after  all,"  she  thought,  with  a  smile, 
slackening  her  pace  and  nearing  the  two 
unseen  talkers.  She  would  not  inter- 
rupt them.  She  was  thinking  how  the 
bare  limbs  of  a  tree  in  front  looked  like 
supplicating  arms  lield  aloft  towards  the 
sky.  Then  her  attention  was  attracted 
by  Pablo's  voice,  raised,  as  he  said, 

"  ril  have  no  more  parleying,  you 
dog!  Yoio  can't  marry  any  woman, 
much  less  my  sister." 

Lerma's  voice  sounded  in  an  insolent 
laugh  as  he  retorted,  "I  did  not  expect 
to  trouble  myself  about  the  marrying 
part.  Padre  Miranda  agreed  to  do  the 
job  for  quince  jycsos,  just  to  satisfy  the 
little  one.     I  wanted  lierself." 


156 


Pablo's  ejes  burned  dangerously.  lie 
seemed  hardly  able  to  restrain  himself. 
Then  he  cried,  indignantly, 

"I  have  seen  your  wife  and  little 
children,  villain  !" 

"  The  devil  3^ou  have  !"  exclaimed  the 
other,  unguardedly. 

Neither  man  saw  the  figure  a  few 
steps  away  that,  with  tightly  clasped 
hands  and  startled,  piteous  eyes,  stood 
stricken  with  its  first  knowledge  of  in- 
continencia. 

":N"ot  only  that!  I  know  by  the 
help  of  whose  deft  fingers  those  Ger- 
man jewels  disappeared  from  the  post- 
oflice  !" 

Pablo  was  too  intent  to  notice  the 
wicked  light  of  the  eyes  that  scintil- 
lated in  the  moonlight  as  Lerma  stood 
like  an  animal  ready  to  spring.  "I 
know  who  is  wanted,  not  by  the  name 
of  Lerma,  but   Garcia,  at  the  city,  for 


15^ 


the  conspiracy  against — "  But  he  never 
finished  the  sentence. 

The  girlish  figure  rushed  forward ! 
Pablo  had  his  sister  in  his  arms.  'Cen- 
sion's  own  body  had  sheathed  the  deadly 
stiletto  aimed  at  her  brother. 

Lerma  leaped  down  the  road.  The 
sound  of  his  horse's  fleeing  hoofs  came 
on  the  still  nis^ht. 

Pablo  knelt  on  the  ground,  still  hold- 
ing his  nerveless  burden.  His  face 
looked  more  death-stricken  than  that  on 
his  breast.  With  a  shuddering  sob  he 
murmured,  "  Oh,  my  little  sister,  it  is 
the  kinder  of  the  two  he  has  given  you." 
Bonito  raised  his  head  in  the  patio  and 
sent  out  a  dismal  howl.  It  was  an- 
swered down  the  lane  by  Alderete's 
curses.  He  mounted  and  struck  his 
spurs  into  his  horse's  flanks. 

"  Come  back !"  cried  Pablo,  fran- 
tically.    "Nothing    matters   now!     He 


158 


lias  killed  her.  Oh,  'Ceiision  !  'Cen- 
sion  !" 

"God  help  us,  surely  not !"  said  Al- 
derete,  coming  up.  "  There,  brace  up, 
my  boy,"  he  went  on,  kindly,  loosening 
the  figure  from  Pablo's  clasp.  "Look, 
it  would  have  been  your  heart,  but  it 
is  only  her  arm  !     She  has  fainted." 

Even  as  he  spoke  there  was  a  tremble 
on  the  white  face,  and  two  pathetic  dark 
eyes  flashed  their  love  and  resignation 
into  Pablo's  anxious  ones. 

Next  morning  when  Conchita  Barassa 
called  her  sister  Jesusita  there  was  no 
answer.  The  unscrupulous  padre  had 
received  his  shamefnlly  earned  dollars 
the  night  before,  not  knowing  or  caring 
that  the  bride  had  been  asked  ten  min- 
utes before  on  the  plea  that  the  post- 
office  authorities  were  on  the  bride- 
groom's track. 


159 


Alas,  it  is  only  the  same  old  story  ! 

The  tale  repeated  o'er  and  o'er, 

"With  change  of  phice  and  change  of  name. 

Disguised,  transformed,  and  yet  the  same 
We've  heard  a  hundred  times  before." 


THE    EXD 


fe^ 


